Isaiah

Once in a while, on the trains of Hong Kong, you will see a young person offer his or her seat on the bus or train to a senior citizen. There are mini-posters on the trains encouraging you to do so.

What you will never see in Hong Kong is an older person offer up his seat to a young person.
That is off course unless you are riding the train with Isaiah.

When I am out in public, I like to watch people. I like to gauge their response to the presence of non-Asian people in their midst. But to be honest, the presence of me, my family, or our friends does not really garner much of a reaction.

That is of course unless you are riding the bus with Isaiah.

Isaiah is our next-door neighbor. He’s five. I don’t know what it is, but whatever it is, Isaiah definitely has it. Granted the kid is cute, but there is something more than that going on here. He has some sort of freaky magnetism.

The people on the streets of Hong Kong go crazy over him. They stare at him, they smile at him, they point him out to the people they are with. It’s really something to watch.

No lie, yesterday he was standing in the aisle of a crowded bus so he was more or less at eye level with the old man in the seat next to him. The old man was looking at him (no surprise there), but when Isaiah made eye contact, the old man actually half-stood up and offered his seat to the five-year-old.

Unbelievable.

My friends –Isaiah’s parents- deny it, but I am convinced that when they go places they get in at no charge and people on the street just hand them stuff for free.

Last weekend, I had to get a phone bill straightened out and I wanted to talk my way into a basketball league that was already full. I asked my friends if I could borrow Isaiah for a couple of hours. I promised them that I would bring him right back.

If I could bottle whatever it is the kid has, we could all grow rich.

-Jack

(posted with permission)