Proud Moment

This proud moment took place in Natore, Bangladesh in the year 2000. It seems like a dream but I still remember that day clearly. It was just me and my mother that day. My mother took me shopping with her in a different town which was more urban than the town we were staying in at my grandparents' house. We took the train there, and in villages, if you haven't ever been there, the train station is the busiest, loudest, and unorganized place you'd have ever been to. It was also the most dangerous place to get lost in, especially during these years. However back in 2000, I don't think it is as bad as it is today. So what happened was, we were waiting at the train station pretty early so we would be able to get on board right away, but so was about 500 other people. As soon as the train came, we half ran towards the train doors, but even though we were early it took us forever to get through the crowd and the train was actually about to leave- soon. We were hurrying, and when you're only 5 years old, dodging people and trying to keep your footing was quite difficult - and the next thing I knew, I wasn't holding onto my mom's hand anymore. I started panicking and since I was small, and I couldn't find the way to the train because of course I couldn't see over the heads of the adults rushing all over the place. Unfortunately, I ended up missing the train and had no idea where my mom had gone. So I sat on the bench there for a long time. I was extremely scared I'll be honest, but I didn't cry at all. I kept my head cool trying to concentrate on what I should do. I saw some people walking from afar, they didn't look friendly, and so I got up and went to the street and sat next to a homeless old lady. Now that I think about it, this moment could have completely changed my life. Fortunately, then a rickshaw driver came by and I guess he noticed that I wasn't someone from the streets and asked me where I lived. I told him I'm from the town Lalpur. It was a pretty far place; I knew no rickshaw driver would take me there. To my surprise he said, "Oh I know lots of people in that town, what is your grandfather's name?" When I told him, he said recognized my grandfather, who was well known during his life time before he passed away. I didn't believe the guy but then he told me the name of my grandmother and said they have 3 sons and 3 daughters, and one daughter lives in the "land of opportunity". I was the daughter of that daughter living in Canada, but I didn't tell him that because it is never safe to give out more information than necessary. Yeah, I was that clever when I was 5 years old! Before I went on the rickshaw I gave the homeless lady my bag which had some snacks and water in it but then she insisted to pay for my ride! I still remember some features of her face and how she handed me the money; I wish I could help her today but who knows where

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