My Last Goodbye to a Stranger who Befriended Me

Sometimes the unforeseen arrival of strangers in our lives leaves a lasting impact for the days to come.

It was my first day of work at a nation-wide food charity in England that fights food waste and hunger. It collects excess food from supermarkets and other grocery stores and redistributes it to the local frontline charities, homeless people and the vulnerable.

So many food items were left to be packed in trays, that were meant to be distributed to other charities later. I quickly took a tour of the warehouse and got acquainted with the food kept and stored there. The only problem was that I had never even heard the names of some of the food items, let alone their core British pronunciation.

The manager called me and asked me to get some yoghurt, cheese and pies from inside and pack them in one box. How should I pack them? I just heard some sounds, not even proper words (name of the cheese and pies). Despite the nervousness, I went inside and searched for something I didn’t even hear properly. There were around 5-6 varieties of yoghurt and around nine-ten or maybe more variety of cheese and pies. 

It is then that an unknown person arrived inside. We were complete strangers to one another. He was an old, handsome British man with sparkling eyes. Grey hair flowing with every knock of the air. To me, he was more like Willy Wonka from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, cleverly moving from place to place and talking in an enchanting manner.
Very politely and gently, he explained to me how to collect food items and place them in the trays and boxes. 

“Working as a development practitioner in the charity sector (or indeed in any field) introduces us to innumerable selfless people who inspire us in multiple ways to refine ourselves and become better each day.”

Since I never had a grandfather, I tend to find one in elder men with whom I get acquainted (also read Ammaji: Remembering a bold and carefree woman who was my great-grandmother, if you haven’t already). And so we became colleagues or maybe friends, or maybe an imaginary grandfather and grand-daughter (only in my mind). 
In a very short span of time, we became good buddies. He had retired from his professional work and was voluntarily working at the National charity to make the most of his time.

He used to share with me his knowledge on subjects ranging from politics, latest media reports and farming (of course), while I shared with him my new cultural and academic experiences in the UK. The way he used to share his knowledge on almost anything, especially farming and gardening, made me want to hear him more. 

After almost a month, it was my last day of work in the organisation and I was excited and sad at the same time. Excited because I will be starting with my new work and sad because I’ll no more get to see and meet my new friend, who was like my imaginary grandpa.

After finishing work that day, I wished him goodbye and walked towards the bus stop, while he heroically pedalled his bicycle, with his hair flowing with the breeze. As I stepped into the bus and sat on a window seat, I saw him with a big smile on his face, riding his bicycle right next to my window to wave me a final goodbye. I smiled at him and it was the last time I saw him. My bus kept going ahead and he took a right turn to ride towards his home.

I’m very critical if I’ll ever see him again, but that one month has been one of the memorable months of my life.

Working as a development practitioner in the charity sector (or indeed in any field) introduces us to innumerable selfless people who inspire us in multiple ways to refine ourselves and become better each day.

Thank you for Reading!

Read another story on friendship here: An Unusual Friendship with Pinky

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