Blast from the past

about an hour ago at the late hour of 11pm, my mobile rang and I heard the voice of a young man on the other side. A little familiar but I couldn't quite place it. And when he said his name, I had to repeat it three times before it struck me. It was the student I used to tutored! I haven't heard from him for nearly two years but just from his voice alone, it seems he has matured quite a bit.

Apparently, his school is having a band concert at Victoria Concert Hall and he wanted to invite me. I felt a strange mixture of awkardness and warmth and I found myself agreeing to go. the things we agree to do when we are tired, confused and bloody caught by surprise. Let's just say I was a tad touched.

In a life full of twist and turns, in a previous life, I was tutor to a number of young kids. Strangely, for all my supposed disdain for these young gentlemen that I was tutoring, I get along rather famously with them. Perhaps, my memory of being tortured by my numerous tutors made me a better teacher than I imagined myself to be. Or at least more compassionate.

I wouldn't go as far to say I was his mentor, but I do hope I had made a difference to this person's life at a time when he need a older friend and an occasional listening ear. The things that the past throw us at tmes.