As you know, you cannot always tell what is on other people’s minds, so there is often a surprise out there in store for you.

At YYHS, we need to run for meals, or we may end up with an empty stomach. Luckily, I go home for lunch, but for supper, everyone, boarders and day students alike, has to go to the canteen.

The other day, when I tore my way to the canteen, it was already jam packed. Having got a serving of noodles from the counter, I looked for a place to sit. It being the rush hour, almost all the seats had been occupied. A long and hard search amidst the hullabaloo finally landed me a free seat next to a girl.

The girl schoolmate had very short hair, with a pair of glasses on. So neatly trimmed was her hair that you might take her for a boy. While I was taking the seat, she became a bit uneasy and fidgeted. Judging from her demeanour, she seemed to be debating with herself whether to ask me for a favour. After some inner struggle, the girl called me tentatively, not for help though. She told me instead that there was some spillage on the seat and that she had not expected I would take it.

The kind tip lifted my spirits in the noisy hall. We were total strangers. It was not her duty to remind me of it. Smiling gratefully at her, I responded, “Oh, it is not a big deal. Let me move on to a new one. Thanks.”

Slurping the noodles at the new seat, I felt someone approaching and putting a drink on the table. I had thought that it might be one of my friends, but as I looked up, what greeted my eyes was the face of the very girl with the impressive hairdo, who had just done me a good turn.

“It is for you,” she said crisply. “Hard to get one now.”

Before I could express my appreciation, the girl went away and faded into the horde.

Now I believe that YYHSers own not only the ability to run for meals but also beautiful hearts.