Meeting in the train
“Making contact with your children is much easier with a mobile” said the other man which set me thinking that maybe the man beside me was alone and had no children.
“Do you know what time it is?” asked the man besides me to the other man. “Ha!” said the other man with enthusiasm “That I can also see on my mobile!” “That’s what I mean” yelled the man besides me agitated, “What’s happening in the World? Where is the time when we just look at the sun to know what time it is?”
The agitated way he talked and his behaviour reminded me of my father, so I looked up from the window and said: “You sound exactly like my father”. I then turned my head towards the man besides me and felt a shock. I saw a man with the face of my father! He even had his eyes. His face was covered with blackheads like my father had.
Immediately I forgot to keep a distance from this man. I smiled at him and he said: “Well tell me, was your father a nice person?" That gave me something to think about. My father had been a very grumpy man and he had been a difficult father for me. He had been an alcoholic for a while and was very domineering. During my life I had not felt much love for him until just before he died when we became a bit closer, but by this time my father was demented.
After my father died I began to understand what made him the man he was and I learned to forgive him. Not that I accepted his bad behaviour, but my angry feelings towards him became softer and my love grew stronger. So after moments of silence I said: “Well you know, my father was not an easy going man, but yes he had some very good points” and when I heard myself saying this I felt true love for my words and I felt my face glowing.
"Thank you” said the man, “you made my day” and I saw tears in his eyes. I rubbed his arm a bit and then the man did the same as my father had done twice in his life when I was a kid. He leaned his head towards me and I leaned over to him and our foreheads touched.
Wow, I enjoyed that moment so much. I felt the contact between us so deeply and my tears came up from nowhere. I can still feel the power of that moment. It was such a special moment I’ll never forget. I noticed that the people around us were aware of our conversation; the young man in front of us closed his computer and gave a big smile.
“Where do you go to?” I asked and he said: “Nowhere special”. He was a very easy talker and told me that he has always been a traveller in his life. He said he loved traveling and that he had seen many different countries in his life. He told me about his love for France and the things he talked about reminded me so much of my father. “Where do you go today?” he asked me and I told him I had to go to my hairdresser. “I will follow you” he said. Suddenly the thought of that gave me the creeps. Perhaps because at that moment I was aware of the strange thing that was going on, me hugging this strange man in the train, a look alike of my father in mind and body. I didn’t know what to make out of our meeting.
Suddenly we arrived at my station and everything went very quickly. We thanked each other for the special moment we shared and I wished him a good life. I said goodbye and got out of the train. I don’t know if he got out of the train and whether he followed me. I found my way through the crowded station and once outside I felt more comfortable. I smiled the whole way to my hairdresser and for the whole day I felt so very happy and so peaceful. I said many times: “Thank you, thank you thank you for this meeting” and I still do. What a special a moment it was…………………..It feels like I met my father, we shared love and went our own ways again. What a great feeling.
Now, reading over the words I’ve written, I suddenly understand. When the man said: “I will follow you” he meant: “I am with you on the path you walk”. Knowing that makes me feel happy and comfortable.
“Do you know what time it is?” asked the man besides me to the other man. “Ha!” said the other man with enthusiasm “That I can also see on my mobile!” “That’s what I mean” yelled the man besides me agitated, “What’s happening in the World? Where is the time when we just look at the sun to know what time it is?”
The agitated way he talked and his behaviour reminded me of my father, so I looked up from the window and said: “You sound exactly like my father”. I then turned my head towards the man besides me and felt a shock. I saw a man with the face of my father! He even had his eyes. His face was covered with blackheads like my father had.
Immediately I forgot to keep a distance from this man. I smiled at him and he said: “Well tell me, was your father a nice person?" That gave me something to think about. My father had been a very grumpy man and he had been a difficult father for me. He had been an alcoholic for a while and was very domineering. During my life I had not felt much love for him until just before he died when we became a bit closer, but by this time my father was demented.
After my father died I began to understand what made him the man he was and I learned to forgive him. Not that I accepted his bad behaviour, but my angry feelings towards him became softer and my love grew stronger. So after moments of silence I said: “Well you know, my father was not an easy going man, but yes he had some very good points” and when I heard myself saying this I felt true love for my words and I felt my face glowing.
"Thank you” said the man, “you made my day” and I saw tears in his eyes. I rubbed his arm a bit and then the man did the same as my father had done twice in his life when I was a kid. He leaned his head towards me and I leaned over to him and our foreheads touched.
Wow, I enjoyed that moment so much. I felt the contact between us so deeply and my tears came up from nowhere. I can still feel the power of that moment. It was such a special moment I’ll never forget. I noticed that the people around us were aware of our conversation; the young man in front of us closed his computer and gave a big smile.
“Where do you go to?” I asked and he said: “Nowhere special”. He was a very easy talker and told me that he has always been a traveller in his life. He said he loved traveling and that he had seen many different countries in his life. He told me about his love for France and the things he talked about reminded me so much of my father. “Where do you go today?” he asked me and I told him I had to go to my hairdresser. “I will follow you” he said. Suddenly the thought of that gave me the creeps. Perhaps because at that moment I was aware of the strange thing that was going on, me hugging this strange man in the train, a look alike of my father in mind and body. I didn’t know what to make out of our meeting.
Suddenly we arrived at my station and everything went very quickly. We thanked each other for the special moment we shared and I wished him a good life. I said goodbye and got out of the train. I don’t know if he got out of the train and whether he followed me. I found my way through the crowded station and once outside I felt more comfortable. I smiled the whole way to my hairdresser and for the whole day I felt so very happy and so peaceful. I said many times: “Thank you, thank you thank you for this meeting” and I still do. What a special a moment it was…………………..It feels like I met my father, we shared love and went our own ways again. What a great feeling.
Now, reading over the words I’ve written, I suddenly understand. When the man said: “I will follow you” he meant: “I am with you on the path you walk”. Knowing that makes me feel happy and comfortable.