Daily writing prompt

Describe a random encounter with a stranger that stuck out positively to you.

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About ten years ago on a one and a half hour flight home from a work trip, I had an encounter with a complete stranger that left a mark on me and I will never ever forget. The plane was small, two seats on either side of the aisle with about twenty rows. I was already seated by the window when a group of men got on, some kind of contractors headed up north. One of these gentleman took the seat beside mine.

He had a gentle friendly face and before the wheels even left the ground we began chatting. I was laughing at myself and telling him I did not enjoy flying and would be white knuckled until we landed. He asked where I lived and what I had been doing in the city and I explained. I figured we were about the same age. It was just small talk; kids, jobs, spouses and it was passing the time.

When I asked him how many kids, what’s his job etc, he replied “I had two boys. One passed away and so now I have just one”. I said oh I’m so sorry. And he looked sad and said that was the first time he had ever spoken those words “had two but now just one”. Of course I did not want to pry or seem nosey (although sometimes I am), but on his own he carried on with the story. He told me how his boys were teenagers and he and one son came home to find the other son deceased, from suicide.

It was absolutely heart wrenching to hear him talk about what had happened and he did become slightly emotional while talking about it, which he apologized for. Of course I said there’s no need for an apology and in those moments it was like we were not strangers who had met twenty minutes before but friends who knew much about each other.

He talked some more about his son’s life and his death. Then the conversation turned to how his son’s death had affected his marriage. In a very negative way. I explained that I was newly separated and though there was no way I could comprehend losing a child, marital problems and the stress that brings into day to day life were something very fresh in my mind.

Somehow our conversation spanned the entire 1.5 hour flight and when we were about to begin our descent he again apologized for sharing so much, an apology I absolutely refused to accept as I felt really honoured to have been on the receiving end of what he’d shared. It really moved me. He was so honest. The hurt was so raw. I will never forget him or that flight. It was one of those once in a lifetime experiences that stay with you.