Strangers you meet for a minute but often think about

[AbbyGal]

Gatwick Airport morning of 9/1/01, we were flying to Greece on holiday and were next to a Gate for a New York flight. Young woman, in tears, travelling alone with a baby and a grizzly toddler who was playing up. I played peekaboo with him for a while until our flight was called.
The atrocity happened while we were in the air and i assume she ended up being grounded somewhere with her children.

I flew to relatives abroad a lot when mine were little and often think of her.

I love this thread.

I was returning home from a work trip abroad. This was before mobiles. I remember noticing a young woman trying to get off the plane first when we landed.
I spotted her again at baggage claim, pacing up and down.
She grabbed her bag and ran.
I followed a bit behind.
I heard this loud wail, like nothing I heard before. She was slumped down at a phone booth.
I went over to her and she was sobbing. I spoke to the person on the phone.
It was her brother, she had been trying to get home to see her mum before she died. Her mum died whilst we were in the air.
I sat on the floor with her and a lovely air stewardess joined us. Her older brother came through and took her.
Her absolute devastation and brokenness.
I think of her every time I hear of someones parent dying.

This isn't as serious as some of these. I met a young American in a boring airport queue once. I asked where she was visiting in the UK and she said: 'Market Harborough'.

'Oh,' I said, 'you must have friends there?'

She was amazed!

No offence to the residents of Market Harborough (I'm sure it's a nice place).

I was in hospital with my DD who was having surgery. I spoke to another mum in a kitchen area at the hospital. Her teenage DD was terminally ill with cancer and they didn’t know how long she would be with them for. We didn’t chat for long and I didn’t see her again but I think about her often.

When I was on the postnatal ward with my twins, the bed opposite was occupied by a girl who couldn’t have been more than 18, who had been there with her baby since their birth weeks before. She had social services involvement, and from the phone calls and conversations I overheard she was or had been in an abusive relationship with the baby’s dad. They were trying to get her a space in a mum and baby hostel or home but the dad was being obstructive.

I often think about her. It was terrible being opposite at the time and just unable to avoid it all but I now wonder where she is and how her little one is doing.

In the summer between finishing school and starting university I was learning to drive. The instructor had the prior learner pick me up and I dropped him off. He was to study the same course at the same university as me.
I ended up deferring entry following the death of someone close to me. I often wonder if I've met that cute boy from the lesson before professionally. I wonder if we would have been friends if I'd taken up my place

I drank way too much sambuca (back when that was something people drank).

The next day I had to physically hand in a some Uni coursework. I made it onto the bus in Shepherds Bush but didn’t get far. I collapsed on the bus, stumbled out somewhere on Uxbridge Road and just laid on the pavement. People stepped over me. A lady in a car on the other side of the road shouted out are you ok?? She did a u turn, got out of her car and helped me. She called my teacher to say I couldn’t hand in my work. Then she drove me home up the road.

I put myself in so much danger that day. And this lady helped me. This was about 17 years ago and I still think about it

I was in the Pantheon in Rome. A choir were singing and it was so beautiful that my eyes were full of tears. A lady hugged me and told me ‘it will be all right’. She was Dutch, or maybe Spanish. She held both my hands and said that she gave me her strength.

it was the warmest. most spiritual moment of my life

@Wildfloral I wonder if they were bodyguards. Perhaps her father was 'somebody'. Can't imagine a trafficked person would have been allowed to give out a number?

He used to live in Buckinghamshire...

I always think about a olderlady in a full suit on a swing in our local park the day lockdown restrictions had lifted. I’d seen a lot of death and destruction of families and watching her smiling and laughing when she was swinging felt like a tiny glimmer of hope. She had no children with her I think she was just celebrating.

I just ordered that book too.

That broke me - I imagine that’ll never you. How lovely she wasn’t alone in her moment of devastation.

I was in a lift at the hospital for a routine check-up with my 2-month-old DD, and next to me was an elderly homeless man. He reached over to rearrange her blanket and tuck it around her shoulders. He said, “I remember when mine were that age,” with a look so kind and tender that I nearly cried. It was a moment of such intense humanity and connection.

A few months ago I was stranded at a secluded and unmanned train station as the line ahead was blocked. It was dark and my phone ran out of battery seconds after I called DH to collect me from home an hour away. The other passengers got taxis or rang friends and eventually I was alone. A man emerged from some trees and started to lurk around the car park. I was terrified in a visceral way that I’ve not experienced before.
A car pullled into the carpark and despite my embarrassment and social anxiety I went over and asked the driver if I could talk to her for a while as I felt so scared. She was so open and trusting, she invited me in to her warm car and let me charge my phone. She was waiting for her adult daughter to artive by train and we chatted until DH arrived.
I often think of her and would love to thank her for being so trusting and open hearted.. I really believe that she prevented me from coming to harm that night.

I don't know it that well, but market harborough, has a nice town centre and District. It's like one of those places you go on day trips.

Did you get your coursework submitted ?

I was at home with my 3 month old baby. The doorbell rang, I went to answer it and there was a young woman standing in her jammies, looking slightly drunk who said her grandmother used to live in my house and could she please come in? I said no I'm home alone with my baby and didn't feel comfortable but she asked me about the baby and told me she had a baby a little younger than that too. She seemed so sad and vulnerable so I let her in. She asked to hold my baby, I let her (against my better judgement!) and she told me how her baby was with her mum and her older child in foster care cos she kept going back to their abusive dad. She can't have been more than 20. She stayed for maybe 20 mins then left, supposedly to collect her younger brother from school. I think about her a lot. I hope she made some good choices for her babies.

About 20 years ago I was walking along the South Bank when they had a kind of temporary metal walkway. I tripped on it and fell down the stairs, landing right beside a young homeless man. He was so kind and concerned. I was shocked but miraculously unhurt and even accepted his offer of a swig of beer and a drag on his cigarette! He then took me up to the Festival Hall reception desk and asked for their first aider, who checked me over.
We chatted for a while afterwards and I will always be glad that I told him how very grateful I was for his kindness.
His name was David and I still think about him now.

I was in the midst of what turned out to be my first major depressive episode, and was in Marks and Spencer's food hall, basket in hand, and suddenly found myself with tears streaming silently down my face. It was really busy, and no one noticed apart from one woman who quietly asked me I was ok. She wasn't intrusive but she was so kind, and made me feel a tiny bit of hope. She was probably about the same age I am now, pushing 60, (I was 24), and I can remember her face as if it were yesterday.

After I had my daughter I became very ill and was hospitalised. I was put on a ward and wasn't allowed to bring my week old daughter, I saw her twice a day, and was pumping around the clock, refusing all pain killers and weeping pretty much constantly. I drew the curtains and curled and wept. Constantly. The only time I wasn't crying was when dh and dd were with me or when I'd cried myself to sleep. On day 4 of this a formidable older lady (a fellow patient the staff couldn't give a shit) with steel grey hair in a bob and garnet coloured glasses and lipstick to match opened my curtains, sat on my bed and quite curtly told me to pull myself together. She was harsh, but whilst being so her eyes held more understanding and kindness than I've ever witnessed before or since. She was reprimanding me verbally but squeezing my hand in a way that said "I know. It's okay. I understand". I think that lady pulled me back from the brink. I spent another 3 days there and every morning she opened my curtains and made sure I ordered food. She made me laugh. She stopped me crying. I wish I'd got her name. I wish I'd said thank you.

I was waiting for the train home from uni for the weekend, my friends mum rang me to tell me she didn't have long left (she had cancer)
I was so upset I couldn't speak. The girl stood next to me gave me a tissue and took me to the correct platform as the train had switched platforms.
My friends mum rang me while I was on the train to see if I was ok, and I got upset again. The same girl was sat a couple of rows in front of me and gave me her packet of tissues to keep. I managed to say thanks but not much else.
I got off at a different station to her and didn't get chance to thank her properly, I wish I could have. She had no idea what was wrong, just saw someone upset and wanted to help.
My friend sadly died a week later, we were only 21

Brad lived in Surrey in 2016 whilst filming a movie here. Maybe it was! X

This is a lovely story x

the 14 year old in the hospital bed opposite me on the maternity ward when I had my eldest. She was in foster care herself and although her foster mum was happy to have both her and her baby at in her care social services were having none of it and were planning to take her baby away as soon as she left the hospital. She loved her baby boy so much and was really trying to be a good mum to him, and I often wonder whether they managed to stay together or not. Her baby boy will be 23 now.

It was late at night waiting for the last train in an empty tube station in North America when a man with an Eastern European accent, dark suit and what looked like black contact lenses started chatting to me. His accent sounded a bit dodgy to me. It was all quite surreal. I was glad when the train arrived.