Sometimes, All We Have To Do Is Listen. Quietly.
Give 1 to get 10.
“Can’t he hurry? He has been at the counter for the longest time.”
Echoes of annoyance streamed past my ears from the back. It was a workday afternoon, and there is a long queue of people seeking a routine caffeine shot at Starbucks.
I looked up from my phone, trying to figure out the situation. I have been standing in the same position for 10 minutes, and it puzzled me that the queue wasn’t moving. Actually, I was puzzled that I wasn’t puzzled as well.
What an irony.
I looked to the front while placing my iPhone into my pocket. I saw an uncle at the counter fumbling with his wallet. He had his wallet brought closer from his stomach level to eye level. It seems that he has payment issues.
I turned to the person behind me, asking if she would kindly hold my spot for me. She smiled.
I walked to the front, and I saw the uncle checking his dollar notes. I think he is looking for a lower denomination to pay for his order. He had $100 bills.
As he flicked from bill to bill in search of smaller change, I walked up and did a VISA pay-wave.
He looked up upon hearing the beep. He looked confused. I smiled at the uncle displaying a wave of worry across his face.
“No worries, Uncle. It is on me.”
I smiled. He relented. He returned me a smile. I thought I had done a good deed for him and those in the queue.
I wouldn’t have expected that it was just the beginning.
The coffee joint is packed. I managed to secure the final available table for 4. With pandemic measures in place, I guess sitting alone at the table for 4 seemed reasonable.
I took a sip of the warm cappuccino and started checking the stock market with my smartphone. I guess I am a lottery punter alongside many others, trying my best to benefit from a rise in asset value.
Maybe I will be rich one day. Maybe.
After about 5 minutes, I caught a pair of legs standing next to the table at the edge of my eye. I was ready to share my table with someone.
I looked up and saw the same uncle in distress 10 minutes ago. He waited at the collection corner longer than I did because chocolate muffins take a longer time to warm up. Well, I guess that is pretty normal.
“Young man, thank you for saving me just now. May I sit here?”
“Yes, please.”
I proceeded to make space for the gentleman and placed my napkins closer to me. He smiled gently and took a seat right in front of me.
This gentleman spoke nothing afterward. He calms the environment around him. There was no noise created as he extracted the saucer and plate from the tray to the table. I swear he would be perfectly invisible without deliberate notice. A wallpaper persona?
Yet, his perpetual silence attracted my attention. He has white hair at the fringes of his head. He carries an iPhone that is smaller than mine. It has to be an older model. Maybe an iPhone4. He wears a short sleeve Tee-Shirt with a pocket on his left chest. There is a pen tucked comfortably in that pocket.
Everything about him suggests that he is a character of life stories. I started wondering what his story is. As I engaged within myself, he was silent throughout. He ate his food without any sound. He sipped his coffee quietly. He was at ease.
And then, he started talking. He spoke softly.
“It is a beautiful afternoon. Don’t you think so, young chap?”
No longer necessary to peek, I looked up from the trading application in my phone and replied to the gentleman with a smile.
“Yes, it is. What brings you here, Sir?”
I sipped from my cup and was getting ready to engage in a casual conversation. What followed next went beyond my expectations.
He smiled gently.
“I wish I had a smile story to share, son. Unfortunately, I don’t. I just got retrenched, and this Starbucks is in between my home and office. I have 2 more hours before official knock-off time, so I came for some peace.”
It was a complicated web of emotions within him. I could sense his unhappiness, anxiety, and desperation wrapped into his monotonous delivery. I wanted to engage, but I didn’t know how to. He took a bite of the chocolate muffin in front of him, put his fork down, and continued.
“I am 63, have a daughter in college completely dependent on me for fees, and there are 10 years to go for the mortgage. My wife is going to be upset and worried after knowing that I got retrenched.”
He sighed. It was so light that I could not detect it. Almost.
“I am operating on lost time. I wished that someone had taught me to save for contingencies and retirement.”
He shrugged his shoulders. He made eye-contact and smiled. I wanted to assure him that things will turn for the better, but no sound came out of my mouth no matter how hard I tried.
I wanted to tell him that I got retrenched twice, no matter how stellar my performance was. I wanted to tell him that I learned the importance of saving for a rainy day only at 35-years old. I wanted to tell him that time is within our control if we choose to think that way.
I. Just. Couldn’t. Do. It.
I began wondering if I had a sinus relapse. I doubt so. I was shocked that I heard this story from a real person compared to the mainstream media platforms.
When it is reported in the form of unemployment statistics, we stay calm as if nothing happened. When someone around us recounts their story, it delivers an emotional impact of elephantine proportions.
“I work in an oil rig. There are no jobs.”
He choked. Same for me.
“What can I do …? Am I already irrelevant?”
He asked meekly.
“No, you won’t. There will be jobs for you, Sir.”
I forced a response, erecting a brave front when emotions are stirring from within. I could sense a swell of helplessness in my head and heart.
Then, I realized that I have virtually nothing good to say, so I should say nothing. I cannot make this gentleman feel better, so I figured I should not make him feel worse.
It was an awkward silence for a couple of minutes. And then, he was ready to make a move.
“Thank you, Son. you have done a good deed.”
“Don’t worry about the cup of coffee and muffin, Sir. It is not worthy of any mention.”
He walked towards me, placed his left hand on my right shoulder, and ruffled it as he spoke.
“Son, you got it wrong. It is not about the coffee and muffin.”
I was surprised.
“It is not …?”
“Yup, anyone, practically anyone can offer a cup of coffee and a muffin to someone else. You did something more. You sat and listened to an old man whose time is over.”
I wanted to say that isn’t true. Before I could, the old gentleman continued.
“My daughter doesn’t listen to me. She thinks that I live in the past, working in an oil rig while she gets busy with her phone. My younger ex-colleagues looked away when I tried to guide them. Financial planners abandon me when they know I have zero excess income for investment. This is the World I am living in.”
I placed my hand on top of his. I went from silent to speechless.
“And so, you have done a good deed, Son. You listened. You listened to everything that I said. Thank you for doing so. This is much more valuable to me than the cup of coffee and muffin. You helped relieve me of the tension I had since I left office 5 hours ago.”
He patted me on my shoulders. He smiled a gentle smile.
“Take care, Son. You are a wonderful man.”
And then he turned around and made his exit from Starbucks. I watch his back as he walked away. He stood tall. His shadow was slender and sorrowful.
What that gentleman said before he left kept ringing in my head. I stared out of the window and saw people donating money to a young boy holding a bowl.
Now I know that it is easy to donate, and it is rare for us to listen to their story. We are too busy with work, too engrossed in the stock market.
We have never stopped to do a proper good deed for others. Maybe it is time we do good deeds with authenticity. Maybe, it is time we start listening to the people around us.
And maybe …. That is how we can really do good deeds.
When Was The Last Time We Listened?
Aldric
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