At long last the 14 hours of flying non stop from S’pore to London was over. Max managed to get the key to his hotel room. The thought of having 2 days off in London overcame the trauma he endured during the 16 hours of duty time. The flight was packed with demanding passengers and it was hard coping with his senior crew. After having his shower Max took a Piccadilly train from Gloucester station and left for Piccadilly Station,the nearest tube station to London Chinatown. Max’s favourite charsiew duck rice was in a restaurant in Chinatown. He would never failed to visit Chinatown for his favorite dish.

The restaurant was crowded with diners from all over the world. It was noisy too. There was only one small table available and the waiter ushered Max to that table.

Chinese tea was served and before Max could sip his tea,an old haggard looking lady of European descent sheepishly asked Max whether she could share the table. Max gestured her to the only seat left. She took a bow and thanked Max.

The old lady and Max had placed their dinner order and it took a long time before their dinner was served. While waiting for their meals, Max and the old lady did not speak to each other except for the occasional smile they exchanged with each other.

After dinner, the old lady was pleasantly surprised when Max paid for her meal. She insisted on paying Max but Max politely declined to accept.

During the time when they were waiting for their dinner to arrive,Max noticed that the old lady was dressed in old tattered clothings. The dress was old and patched up but it looked clean. She had an old worn out handbag. Max took pity on the old lady and decided to pay for her 5 pound dinner which was nothing more than a plate of fried rice. After all Max told himself that the allowances he earned on this London flight was more than a thousand dollars.

Max took a walk around Chinatown and left for his hotel after buying a few cans of Coke and some groceries which he might need in the middle of the night.

That night Max was woken up from his sleep by some noises which sounded like someone talking to him. He looked up and in the dim room light could see an old lady seated across from his bed in a chair smiling at him. Max noticed it was the same lady who had shared his table at Chinatown. At this point Max could feel the goose pimples all over his body. He was scared stiff but the old lady lifted up her hands,smiled and vanished into the thin air. Max could not sleep and remained so until dawn.

Back at Singapore a week later, Max found that his wife was pregnant. They had always wanted a baby but Max’s wife could not conceived. They had been married for a couple of years and the knowledge that his wife was pregnant was indeed good news.

Following the news his wife was pregnant, Max also won a big sum of money by betting on lottery.

Indeed, Max and his wife suspected the old lady whom Max met in London must have had given them good luck.