A Detour I Didn’t Expect but Needed

Everything Happens for a Reason—Again

I’ve written about this before: everything happens for a reason. And sometimes, life reminds you of it again and I’m extremely thankful this time, it happened in a good way.

I went back to my hometown for a few days and decided to take the train instead of driving. It turned out to be a fun experience—it was actually my first time taking the train back to my hometown. I used the time to do some work, wind down, and read.

Coincidentally, someone close to me needed to travel, but plans changed. And that night, I happened to cancel my class due to a lack of attendees.

That cancellation led to a meet-up with a friend. On the way there, I noticed something wasn’t quite right with my car, but I headed to my destination anyway. (Dear readers: if there’s anything wrong with your car, please grab a ride instead! Restrain yourself from driving.)

After the meet-up, I silently prayed that my car would be fine and that I could at least get home safely.

Halfway through, everything started blinking and flickering and my car began to shut down. I quickly turned on the emergency lights. Suddenly, it felt very warm, the air-cond stopped, the lights went off, and the steering became tight—like it was locking. I couldn’t tell how fast or slow I was driving because everything had gone dark. Thankfully, I managed to steer the car to the side of the road in a relatively safe area.

At that moment, I froze for a while.

I did what I had to do—the emergency light was blinking weakly. I opened the bonnet and started thinking of who to reach out to. Coincidentally, my partner was outstation, and I live quite far away from most people. Of course, my brother came to mind. But I chose to stay calm, steady, and not make any panic calls—it wasn’t an emergency, just an inconvenience.

I Googled what to do and was led to call the highway hotline. Due to a miscommunication, I wasted 30–40 minutes on the wrong call before finally reaching the correct patrol team. It was drizzling and cold at the roadside. Luckily, it was bright and many cars passed by. Some even stopped to check on me.

One man with his partner offered to wait with me since my emergency lights were dying. At first, I declined—feeling a little uncomfortable—but seeing that there was a lady in the car, I eventually accepted. He turned out to be very kind. I later found out he had connections with towing and insurance services, but he was genuinely helpful. When he left, I suddenly felt a little empty… and scared.

The patrol team finally arrived. They set up safety cones, asked me a few questions, and explained my options. I called my insurance agent, who helped arrange a tow truck. My car needed a special type of tow, and unfortunately, there were none in my area—so I had to wait for one to come all the way from KL.

My agent was really helpful—he felt like a father figure, telling me what to do, checking in to make sure I was okay. He probably knew I was alone.

The kind man who had stopped earlier was persistent. After a while, his friend came too. They assured me not to worry, introduced themselves, and offered their services—politely. I rejected them kindly, but I was grateful for their company. They stayed for quite a while before finally heading off.

When they left, the silence hit me again.

I tried to make myself comfortable in the passenger seat, knowing there was still another 45 minutes to an hour to wait. The drizzle continued, and mosquitoes started feeding on me. Suddenly, someone appeared and asked if I needed help—it startled me. Luckily, I had my power bank, some water, a pillow, and a blanket in my car.

Eventually, the tow truck arrived. I kept myself calm, even though my windows wouldn’t roll down due to the car issue. I checked Waze to see if I could survive the ride without ventilation—thankfully, it was nearby. I did some breathing exercises to manage my anxiety (I have a history of panic attacks).

We reached the service center. The guard let us in, and I finally felt relief knowing my car was safe. I grabbed a ride home.

As I write this, yes—repairing the car will cost a lot. But honestly, that doesn’t bother me. I might have avoided many unfortunate events, and I got home safely. It was quite an experience… and I’m just so thankful.