The Magic of Words from a Stranger

I’ve had a very tiresome day and was supposed to be sleeping while travelling on my way home. But a stranger seated next to me caught my attention when he asked a lady behind us to send her wife a text message saying that he was on his way home. “My phone is already drained and I have to tell her I’m going home safely. Wives need to know so they wouldn’t worry,” he said to the lady.

“Wow, he’s some kind of a husband,” I thought to myself.

I was about to close my eyes when he started having conversation with my classmate seated on my left. I am in their middle so consequently, I could not escape their conversation. It was dark inside the van but I could see from my peripheral view that he was wearing glasses and his feet were propped in front of him. From my point of view, he actually looked intelligent and kind. We were talking about our profession (me and my classmate being fire women) at first until it came to ‘financial freedom.’ I noticed then that my classmate was already asleep and there’s only the two of us left conversing. “Whenever I talk to people belonging to the younger generation, I make it a point of broaching the topic,” he told me.

“More often than not, young professionals start the wrong way with their finances. They come to have more debts than savings,” he added. This, I think, is very true. I came to learn that he is an entrepreneur and that he hopes to inspire others like me.

Our conversation went on until it came around to religion, and then family, and then friends. My interest escalated when we realized there are some people we both know, we have common friends. What a small world!

Even when it came to the more personal topic, families, it felt so easy to talk to him. We were virtually strangers but it seemed normal. He was a very good listener and adviser, and was also very willing to share his own story. As a result, we seemed to have journeyed through each other’s lives’ timeline.

When I finished telling him my story, what I saw and heard from him was not similar to that of other listeners, it was admiration and not pity. I have talked about that story with other people, but not with an admiring one. "You see, based on your story, there really is Divine Providence in our lives," he said. "Just continue with what you are doing and later on, when you think it's time for you to settle down, make it point of choosing a husband who is also loving, a good provider and above all, God-fearing," he added.

Our conversation was cut when we reached our destination but that two-hour travel seemed to be endless. I have learned so much from him and I know that he has also learned something from me. In that moment, I realized that sometimes, it’s good to talk with strangers. They give you a new perspective. They give you new hope. They give you the magic of words.