Friends Describe an afternoon at the bus station (SPM 97)
Friends are people whom we turn to when our spirits need a lift. They are always by
our side through thick and thin. They stand beside us even when our disposition is not
perfectly right and will fight for us if we are oppressed. Therefore, it is clear that
friends play a vital role in shaping who we are today. But what qualities exactly do we
need to look for in a friend?
A friend should always be caring towards you. He or she should take interest in your
problems no matter how big or petty your problem may be. A friend should be able to
sit beside you and encourage you to keep your chin up even when everyone else is
against you. A friend’s empathy and lovingness will also replenish your worn-out soul
and will make you realize how important a friend really is.
Apart from that, a friend should be an honest person. An honest friend will dissipate
any worries that he or she is lying towards you. A friend’s honesty will enable you to
trust his or she’s opinion when it comes to telling you the truth about yourself. For
example, an honest friend will remand you on your declining grades and will ask you
to work harder while a dishonest friend will see it with a blind eye. Therefore, an
overall improvement in yourself will be noticeable if you have an honest friend.
Moreover, a friend should be generous both emotionally and knowledge wise. A
friend who is generous ought to be able to connect with you and provide emotional
support. He or she should also be generous when it comes to sharing knowledge. A
true friend must be ever-ready to help you when you are inept in certain subjects. A
friend can easily guide you towards understanding the subject matter better as he or
she is often on the same page as you. The only difference is that you can’t quite grasp
the content of the page per se.
Besides that, a friend must also be able to humour you. Humour plays a quintessential
role in making your day more lively and enjoyable. Friends who pull your leg and mess
about will indefinitely make life seem so much better. As they say, laughter is the best
medicine and a little levity on rainy days is always welcomed.
In conclusion, friends are people we spend most of our time with. Thus, we have to
be selective when it comes to choosing our friends.
It was two o’clock in the afternoon. I was heading towards the bus station with
Mohan after Mrs Wong’s extra class. The sun was beating mercilessly on my
back and I could feel my sweat trickling down my spine. I have often wished that
my mother would allow me to ride a motorcycle to school. She says that I am
not ready but we both know that she is terrified that a car would knock me
down.
When I reached the bus station, it was nearly empty except for a handful of
boys. Mohan and I strode to a bench near the stationmaster’s office. I could feel
the tension on my shoulders as the straps of my school bag ate into my
shoulder. “Where is the bus?” I sighed to myself. An elderly woman came and
asked me where I was going. She started a conversation but gave up after my
monosyllable answers.
Suddenly, someone shouted and I saw a bus swerved into the station. I got up,
thankful for the chance to escape from the woman. . It was Mohan’s bus. The
group of boys were jostling each other to get into the bus. “Masuk! Masuk!”
shouted the conductor but nobody seemed to be moving. The black fumes
made me nauseous. All of a sudden, people started appearing from all
directions to board their bus. In no time, the passengers were packed like
sardines in the bus. It started to move, leaving some unfortunate passengers
behind. I waved at Mohan when I noticed him dangling on the steps of the bus.
The bus swerved out of the station again. It left another trail of black smoke.
I decided to go to Panjang’s ice stall. The iced sugar cane juice soothed my
parched throat as I sipped slowly, all the while keeping an eye on the bus. Then I
saw the bus heading towards the station. I paid for my drinks. “See you
tomorrow,” I waved to Panjang.
Once more, the crowd began to swell near the bus. I noticed that the elderly
woman was being shoved around by the boys. She started hitting them with her
umbrella. Then, I saw Raja, my classmate at the back of the bus. I hurled my bag
through the window and he caught it. By the time I got into the bus, it had
already started moving. I got into my seat and told myself that I must really try
to convince my mother about the motorcycle again.