Hitch, hike, help and home is Home

Having confirmed that my room-mate Lan Mui can walk far and not tire easily, we went out together yesterday and spent a whole day at Ang Mo Kio Hub. I thought of taking the bus to the Hub in the morning to save energy, time and battery power. (Peng Mun's motorised chair battery was starting to wear out after two years.) I would rather we hit the pavement in the evening as the buses coming back from the MRT Station are, needless to say, fully packed. We arrived at the bus stop and checked the panel. It was a long wait for the next WAB (Wheelchair Accessible Bus). We hit the road on pavement.
Before the morning gone by, Lan Mui was complaining about a pain in her leg. We rested and walked some more. Along the way, as we shopped and lunched, we stopped and rested in between. I was getting concerned if Lan Mui can make it back, for her complaints came in shorter interrvals. Eventually I asked her to specify where the pain was. It was in her left foot. I suggested she took off her track shoes to relax it for a while. Guess what? The moment she loosen her shoelaces, she felt a tremedous relief. I can't believe she tied her shoes up so tied, it hurts! Well, I was relieved too; she could walk happily after that. It was Peng Mun who didn't have enough power to move in the evening. We had no choice but to join the evening crowd in boarding a bus. Bus 268 with two wheelchair seatings came quickly. We gestured to the driver with three extended fingers. He nodded. We were all aware of the crowd jostling for places. The driver did what he had to do. He opened the front door to let the able-bodied passengers board the bus. They swarmed in. The bus was nearly full when the driver tried to close the door. The people further away got the message and stopped rushing while the last few people were let into the bus. It was a crowd in the bus but we managed to board it. Three stops later, the bus was empty except for us. We dropped at the fourth bus-stop near the industrial park, thanked the kind driver and walked the distance home through Tavistok with Lan Mui helping Peng Mun along. Neared Saint Peter's Church, Peng Mun summoned Attendant Julie out with a phonecall for help. We raced the short distance home.
Today, visitors donated to the Home cartons of Milo, Anleen Milk powder, Maggie Mee, instance coffee packets, et cetera, while the Home cleared out and gave away cartons of Quacker products and packs of unpolished rice. There were simply too much, we couldn't finish them in time. Thanks to our many kind-hearted donors.