Random Acts of Kindness

Today I went to the cricket. I don't want to talk about it. If you want to read my thoughts as it happened, you can read my tweets, which went through hope, belief, annoyance, anger, upset, despondency to despair.

As I walked out of the Bellerive Oval, I realised that I was the only English fan amongst a sea of gloating Aussies. There had been a couple of Englanders earlier, but they were few and far between, and they'd also left long before the end (rather than me, who stuck it out to the bitter end). A free bus service is offered after games at Bellerive, so I spotted one that said "Kingston via Rosny Park and via Hobart". Knowing I wanted to go to Hobart, and knowing that only last week I'd got the same bus from the same venue to Hobart, I got on the bus, with the assumption (which I'm sure you can see why I made) that this bus would go to Hobart. So as the bus travelled through the main city, past the previous bus stop, and indeed out of the city limits, I was suprised, upset and annoyed. Typical. England have lost embarrasingly, and now I've stupidly got the wrong bus. Colette, who came with me, only to leave early because it was too cold (it was that sort of night) would be in bed. So I'd be in some strange town with no way of getting home. Great.

As the bus travelled the 15km from Hobart to Kingston, I thought of my options. I could walk, but it would be miles in the dark down a motorway. I could get another bus from there back to Hobart, but I wouldn't know what bus to get, where the bus stop was, or if there were even any on. I could get a cab, but money's a bit tight. I could ring Colette, but she'd probably either be asleep or not answer, or be asleep and be annoyed that she has to come and bail me out. Or, I could wait for everyone to get off the bus, and ask the driver if I could stay on (assuming he has to take the bus back to Bellerive) and jump out at Hobart. The last one seemed pretty foolproof, so that was my plan.

We arrived in Kingston. People started to get off. But not everyone. Evidently, this bus wasn't terminating at the place it advertised. As it had also suggested we'd stop in Hobart and Rosny Park (which didn't happen), I guessed the bus driver had put up the wrong sign.

I stepped away from the bus to look at my options. I was in a small suburban town, with not a huge deal going on in it. A few cars drove past, but no real movement otherwise, other than the people who'd just got off the bus. I had a look at the bus stop we'd alighted at, hoping it would give some information. "No buses going at this time of night, mate" came an Aussie drawl. "Oh, right" said I, disappointedly. "You English?" came a question from one of the other blokes (there were three of them waiting by this bus stop). "Erm" (while I paused to think what the best response to this question would be, before deciding on a "yes") said I. "You at the cricket? Did you come over for the Ashes?". After I gave affirmatives to both of those questions, they congratulated me on my countries success (I obviously had a lot to do with the Ashes victory), and asked me what I was doing in Kingston.

I explained the situation about the bus, before I was asked where I was staying. When they found out I was in Hobart, they said they'd sort out a taxi for me. Without me knowing what was happening, they were all digging out their wallets, and handing me some loose change and notes. A taxi, which conveniently came down the road at the precise time, was flagged by the three blokes, who told the cabby where to take me, and not to "cut off my head" (If you hadn't guessed, these blokes were absolutely steaming).

I shook hands with them all for their completely random act of kindness, and the main guy said "when you get back tonight and write your blog about your day, tell them that I scored 201 not out at the weekend for my club". So to the guy who's name I never discovered, and who hailed and paid for a taxi home, that's for you. You did tell me the name of your club, but sadly I forgot it. But what I won't forget is that sometimes even total strangers can perform random acts of kindess, and that everyone should have a go at doing something totally out of the blue for people you don't know, as the world will be a better place. And that's a much happier place to end today's blog than England losing by 47 runs.