Timothy Letts, 31, was driving north to visit a friend when his phone pinged with the request for Sumiel’s ride home. The trip was out of Letts’s way. Still, he took the fare, figuring if the passenger was coming from a medical facility, he likely needed a ride. When Sumiel got into the car, Letts could see that the older man was tired but in good spirits. And as they set out on the 40-minute drive to Sumiel’s home in Salem, the pair got to chatting. Sumiel, who works in sales at a company that produces piping, mentioned that in the past he’d enjoyed volunteering in his community. But he was doing less these days, he explained, because the dialysis (透析) treatments left him extremely tired.

Then Sumiel revealed that he was searching for a kidney donor. Letts said that he’d be a good donor candidate, given that he didn’t drink or smoke. Sumiel agreed, though he didn’t think much of it as they kept driving. Letts, however, couldn’t stop thinking about it. Letts believes in helping others. Plus, he already liked and respected Sumiel. So, about a quarter-mile away from Sumiel’s house, Letts said, “I’d like to see if I could be a match to give you a kidney.”

Sumiel was touched by Letts’s offer, though he wondered if it had just been an emotional moment. Would he hear from him? And what was the likelihood they’d be a match? But Letts was true to his word. He had contacted the kidney transplant program. After a months long screening process and testing, the results were in: Letts was an ideal donor, and he and Sumiel were a perfect match.

On Dec. 7, 2021, 14 months after they ended up in the same car by chance, Sumiel and Letts had their surgeries. Today Sumiel is doing well, working full time and enjoying time with his family and no more dialysis.

A librarian in Indonesia’s Java island started a project — lending books to children in exchange for trash they collect in a novel way — to clean up the planet and help improve kids’ literacy (识字能力).

Each weekday Raden Roro Hendarti rides her three wheeler with books piled up at the back for children in Muntang village to exchange for plastic cups, bags and other waste that she carries back. She told Reuters she is helping kids get into the habit of reading as well as making them aware of the environment. As soon as she shows up, little children, many accompanied by their mothers, surround her “Trash Library” and choose the books noisily. They are all carrying trash bags and Raden's three wheeler quickly fills up with them as the books fly out.

She’s happy the kids are going to spend less time on online games as a result. “Let us build a culture of literacy from young age to mitigate the harm of the online world,” Raden said. “We should also take care of our waste in order to fight climate change and to save the earth from trash,” Raden said.

She collects about 100 kg of waste each week, which is then sorted out by her colleagues and sent for recycling or sold. She has a stock of 6,000 books to lend and wants to take the mobile service to neighbouring areas as well. Kevin Alamsyah, an 11-year-old reader, searches for waste lying in the village. “When there is too much trash, our environment will become dirty and it’s not healthy. That’s why I look for trash to borrow a book,” he says.

The literacy rate for above-15-year-olds in Indonesia is around 96 percent, but a September report by the World Bank warned that the Covid-19 will leave more than 80% of 15-year-olds below the lowest reading level recognized by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

“Have you checked the oil in the car?” my father used to say to me, his way of “Hello, hope you are well.” Sometimes our phone calls would begin with an inquiry about the oil and end with one about the oil.

Fathers have a lot of love to give, but it’s often supplied through the medium of practical advice. In my experience: it’s mostly about my motor vehicle. My student car-an old green Toyota bought for $ 500-was the vehicle for which my father carved his paternal affections (父爱). I bet it’s always been so.

Why can’t fathers just say “I love you” or “It’s great to see you”? The point is: You just have to translate from the language that is Fatherlish. Listen closely enough and the phrase love you“ can be heard in the slightly lengthier“I could come around Saturday and replace the seal (水封) around the base of your toilet because I assume that thing is getting really smelly.” The affectionate phrase “You made my life better from the moment you were born” may be rarely heard, but there is the more common “I’ll hold the ladder while you get the leaves off the roof.”

When I was 17, I went on my first road trip in that Toyota. My father stood on the corner. “Highways are dangerous,” he said, “so don’t try overtaking anything faster than a horse and carriage. And take a break every two hours. And every time you stop for gas, you really should check the oil.” At that time we thought his speech was pretty funny and would repeat “horse-and-carriage” every time I sped up to overtake some other speeding vehicles.

Dad’s long gone now. But after all these years, I realize that I have owned a copy of the Fatherlish-to-English dictionary. I’d have understood that the speech my friend and I so laughed at was simply dad’s attempt at affection.