"Sometimes you’ll never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.”
We might think there is always a next time, or that someone will be there no matter what. But whether it is a friend, a spouse or even the little moments, there are certain things in life that once taken away from us, we can never get back.
And this hits home for a passenger of an uncle driving Grab as he shared nuggets of wisdom during the 20 minutes car ride.
Uncle Loses Wife to Accident
In Cristelle Lim's Facebook post, she documented her conversation with the uncle and found out that he had lost his wife to an unexpected fatal accident.
According to Lim, uncle met the love of his life when he was a regular in the army. He retired from the army 8 years ago, and started driving for Uber; now Grab and Gojek.
However, prior to his wife's death, their marriage had not been a smooth-sailing one. While they lived together, they had grown apart over the years and even slept separately.
"He told me, for every day he was home, he saw his wife but could never hold a proper conversation without losing his temper," wrote Lim.
"He and his wife were not on talking terms and didn't see eye-to-eye on many things. They often quarrelled and left issues unsettled."
In addition, uncle also spent most of his time with his friends. The couple has two children from their marriage—now around 30 years old.
It's the Little Things That Count
Even so, the taxi uncle's wife continued to show her concern day in and out.
According to Lim, even though they slept in different rooms, she would prepare a cup of black kopi and leave it on the table before she leaves the house to play mahjong with her friends.
She also ensured that he would not be left hungry after work.
"When he comes back from driving, there will be a packet of cai png on the table," wrote Lim.
"She wasn't there, and never would be again"
Upon receiving the unfortunate news from his son via phone call, uncle dropped off his passenger as soon as he could and rushed to the hospital—only to realise that it was too late.
"The day his wife was cremated, he stepped into his house door, opened the door to the room where she slept and laid on the bed," wrote Lim.
"He rolled over and reached for her."
But now, the reality is such: "she wasn't there, and never would be again".
"Xiao mei, you must cherish life when you're still young"
During his younger days, uncle shared that he loved to drink and patronised coffee shops regularly to have beer pints with his colleagues. He also spent most of his time and money on his friends and saved very little.
With the loss of his wife, uncle's life has come full circle, and here he offers a valuable piece of advice: "Your friends will be there for you in good times, a handful will be there in bad times, but your partner you choose will be there for the good and bad."
He further explains that life is short and to cherish life and those around us.
"Cherish your life because you will never know when you're going to leave this earth. Cherish the people around you and say 'sorry' and 'I love you' when you still can do so. Cherish your husband, don't think that guys got no feelings."
While 20 minutes of heartfelt sharing isn't a long time, uncle's story has touched Lim's heart and taught her "a lifetime of lessons".
Something that she will "remember for the rest of [her] life," she said.
You can view Cristelle's full post here:
*Disclaimer: Photo is a mere representation of the story.
*This article is from our archives.
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