More than ten years ago, I volunteered to reach out to a student who had ran away from home. He was in a location near my home and had contacted a female colleague. It was not convenient for her to meet him.
I met the student at J Cube (since demolished) and we went to the McDonald’s for a drink. I told him that my presence meant he had to go home. There was no way I was going to leave him out there. He acquiesced.
We took a cab to his home. It was close to midnight and when we arrived, his grandmother started to berate him loudly. She was rather obnoxious.
While I know that 家家有本难念的经, I also understood why the boy ran away. If I was in his position, I would probably run away too!
With great restraint, I said: “Madam, this is your family business. I shall now take my leave.” There was still school tomorrow.