I remember the exact date it happened – 28 October 1994. My husband and I were living in Perth with our newborn baby, James, when my husband had to go back to the UK for work. The plan was for the baby and me to follow him six weeks later.
I’d decided to make the journey as leisurely as possible, so I booked a stopover in Hong Kong. I was very proud of myself setting out because I’d made a homemade baby sling to carry James on my chest during the flight.
But when I got off the plane in Hong Kong and was waiting for my bag, I suddenly realised: the baby was against my chest, so how the hell was I going to get that suitcase? I couldn’t grab it myself because it would smack into me, or the baby might fall out as I leaned over. I couldn’t take the sling off and lay him on the ground – what if someone stole my baby while I had my back turned grabbing the suitcase? I was really working myself into a state. Clearly, I still had some postpartum emotions going on.
Looking back, I should have gone up to an airport official and asked them to help me. But I could not think logically about how to deal with the problem. I had been breastfeeding, I must have been tired, and I was an emotional heap. So I just stood there and burst into tears as I watched the suitcase go round and round the carousel.
Luckily, there was a couple, probably in their 50s, also waiting at the carousel. The woman saw me crying my eyes out, walked over and said, “What’s the matter?” Through tears I told her that I couldn’t work out how to get my suitcase and hold my baby. Of course, her husband grabbed the bag for me and everything was fine within about 10 seconds. Such a simple gesture and, in the end, such a simple solution.
When I look back on it, there must have been other people nearby who just awkwardly averted their eyes. The fact that this couple saw me and were willing to walk over and help was a real reminder that people can be lovely. I often wonder if the woman might have been a grandmother with a daughter my age, who knew what it’s like to have a newborn baby.
What is the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you?
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