Don't know why but today I suddenly thought of using Google and Facebook to search for an old friend. She was my a primary school friend. She and I were the 2 shortest persons in class, so we were "line-up" partners together for years. She was an awesome supportive friend -- kind of a BFF even before the term existed.
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I always remember how she helped me out with English one time. If I recall correctly, we were in Primary 2 then (aged 7 going-on 8). It was the last class of the day. I was supposed to leave school with the school bus. But before we were allowed to go, our English teacher made us all stand-up. Those who could form a sentence with "subject verb object" were allowed to go home. Those who couldn't were forced to remain standing until we could give a sentence. My friend knew that I was clueless about what the teacher wanted, since I did not come from an English-speaking family (so many a times I didn't understand the language structure that the teacher tried to teach) and for some reason I was daydreaming more than I was paying attention in school (especially for the language classes). She whispered such a sentence to me and persuaded me to give the teacher the sentence that she formed. But I wanted to try making my own sentences. Just before she left, she wrote a sentence on a small piece of paper and discreetly slipped it to me standing at the desk behind her. She told me to hold on to it, just in case I needed to use it. Guess, I kind of looked a little panicky by then. After a few round of tries, I was the last few students remaining. By then, I was definitely panicking. It was already past our school dismissal time. In my mind, all I could think about was if the school bus left without me, I would be stuck overnight in school because I didn't know if my mother would come to fetch me, and even if she did, I would surely get a big scolding from her for the troubling her to come to school to fetch me. [Note: This was back in the 1970's, people did not have mobile phones then.] Thus, I gave the teacher my friend's sentence and rushed off to catch the school bus.
When I arrived at the school's parking lot, the school bus was already gone. I decided that I would have to figure out how to walk home on my own, since I remembered that my mother scolded/warned me previously (during a kindergarten incident) that she would not come to fetch me home if I ever not stick according to the plans again. I walked down the staircase to the school field, turned left, and then proceeded down the staircase (hill) leading to the main road. Halfway down, fear took over me -- I really didn't know how to go home on my own. I sat down and cried. Nope, more like I wailed loudly alike a banshee. Suddenly, I saw a few students coming up the staircase. They were sent by the school bus driver. They told me that the school bus was waiting for me at the foot of the staircase (hill) as the bus driver decided to drive down the hill instead of waiting for me at the parking lot. In fact, the bus driver was also tired of waiting for me at the foot of the hill, and he was about to drive off without me when they heard me crying. Frankly, I was still crying and quite shaken when I boarded the school bus for home. On my way home, I felt really grateful that my friend left me an answer to give to the English teacher. I cannot imagine what would have happened if I was delayed just a moment later. I did not dare to tell my parents about what happened. I don't think my siblings did either.
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Through combining the internet searches, I found someone with the same name (and I guess around the same age) on Facebook, and sent a message. But I don't know if that person is my primary school friend. Anyway, no harm trying, just for the fun of it.
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