… said the old man who walked over to my table while I was enjoying my after-dinner cigarette and the rest of my beer. “I’m old and you’re young, so I’ve got a few of those I could give you but I’ll go with this one for now.” He was quite tall for his age, at least taller than me, and skinny for his height. He had white short hair, round glasses, and was wearing a blue shirt tucked in his white shorts. “Next time, instead of facing a wall or this ugly man,” continues the old man, pointing his finger towards my friend across from me, “sit in that chair and look at the sky, or in that chair where you can see this tree.” The tree he was referring to is a beautiful oak tree that’s about 400 years old; its trunk is at least 8 feet wide and its branches cover the whole patio of the burger joint and of the bar next door. The sky wasn’t spectacular, but the old man was right, it sure was nicer to look at than an ugly wall… or an ugly friend. “Don’t listen to him! He’s crazy!” interrupted his wife who had a blue plaster on her left forearm. Then they walked to their car and drove away, leaving my friend and I with a “what the hell was that?” look on our faces.
I had never met this man, nor his wife, and I’ll probably never see them again, but as random as that was, it somehow feels like what he said was what I needed to hear.
Thank you old man.
I love it