Have you ever met a stranger, who you never saw again, that you still think about?

[Backinthe1960s]

It was at my local stamp club. We didn't get many new members turning up so when one did we all to used to make a big effort to make them feel welcome. It was the night of our annual quiz and he and I were in the same team. He seemed a really nice bloke with a vast knowledge of stamps and postal history and I thought he would be a good recruit for the club. Afterwards we went for a quick drink at the local pub, he paid for a drink for the two of us, then he went off towards the gents toilet.

I never saw him again and he never came back to the stamp club. For ages I wondered what happened to him.

There was one man - on a tube again: so many silent dramas happening on the tube! He was a younger than me at the time, early thirties, and I think a foreign tourist. He had the tousled blond, casual, suntanned look you associate more with surfers than commuters. It's the only time that simply clapping eyes on someone has felt like being physically kicked in the solar plexus - but not painful; just very shocking! Every nerve in my body wanted to be with him.

He did stare at me briefly, but I got off at the next stop and pushed past him with the crowd. Some men have told me in the past that they felt this about me; I didn't feel the same way, and I've known a few people who generated this reaction in strangers all the time. My remaining vestige of common sense told me he's probably one of them - so, not a mystical connection but a 'template' response to his looks. It's weird, though. Only having seen him for maybe 30 seconds, 15 years ago, every detail's still clear in memory.

Mind you, if I hadn't been in the middle of a nasty divorce I'd have considered cancelling my meeting to try my luck!

I find it strangely comforting to think that people can make such an impression on others without even realising it, sometimes without even talking/interacting with them.

Yes :) No wo/man is an island.

It is a lovely thread.

I always remember the minicab driver who made me smile when I was fleeing a flat where the neighbour was threatening me. I was a young student alone with all my stuff in bin liners and sobbing. He was just so kind and laid back and he sent me on my way in a much better state. I'm eternally grateful.

I think DH and I would both say the lovely air hostess who made a huge fuss of DD1 on her first flight with us. She went out of her way to be helpful and friendly - I remember her coming past at one point and saying 'I can't stop but in a minute I'll be on my break and come back to see you' - that she'd give up her break time to entertain DD just made me
We did note her name and send a mail to the airline praising her, but I wish we could have done something proper to thank her.

Just one. It was Christmas, over 50 years ago. I was 17 and my family and family friends decided to have a different Christmas - so we all went and stayed in a London Hotel for three days.

On the first evening we had dinner, after which there was a band and dancing. A New Zealander, I'm guessing in his 30s asked me to dance and I was swept off my feet.

We spent the days talking and the evenings dancing. On the final night, he told me that he was flying home to New Zealand the following day. He made a request to the orchestra and the last song played on the last evening was the NZ (Maori) song, Now is the Hour. The words are:

Now is the hour,
when we must say goodbye
Soon you'll be sailing,
far across the sea.
While you're away,
Oh please remember me.
When you return,
you'll find me waiting here.

I cried all night - next morning he had already left for his flight.

Ridiculously he is still in my thoughts from time to time.

When I was a student I was with a temping agency, and the job no one ever wanted was one where you just went around the ward at the local hospital to give tea and coffees to patients and washing up etc. I was broke due to my bastard ex doing a midnight flit and leaving me with all the rent to pay on the little flat we shared, it was the holidays and all my friends had gone home and I stayed on doing every job the agency sent my way.

It was hard going as it was a men's respiratory ward and some of the patients had been ill for a long time and would take out a lot of their frustrations on people like me, as even though I obviously wasn't a nurse or anything I wore a uniform so they assumed I could and should be doing more for them than just asking them if they wanted a hot drink. They'd often swear and shout but like I said they were not well at all.

One man came in, in his sixties maybe, and he was just so lovely and so polite to me. I remembered how he liked his tea and what biscuits he chose and sometimes he was asleep when I came round so I'd leave them out for him or make him a tea when he woke up.

Happily he was discharged but he came to seek me out, gave me s shoulder squeeze and said even though I might think it was just a few cups of tea it'd meant a lot to him at a scary time.

Such a minor event but it meant a lot at the time and I still think of his lovely kind eyes and beautiful manners and the way he spoke to me with such respect.

I love this thread, one of my favourites ever.

Oh, I remembered another. Strange that I didn't think of him when I first read this thread as he is remembered every time my petrol light comes on.

Not long after I passed my driving test, I got a job in a nearby city. I worked shifts and often didn't finish until after 1am so my dad bought me a mobile phone in case I ever broke down. (Mobiles were quite new to the market and I remember thinking he was over cautious.)
Driving home one night I ran out of petrol on a dual carriageway. Too embarrassed to admit this to my DF, I phoned a taxi. The taxi picked me up and the driver took me to a petrol station 5 miles away where he helped me fill a petrol can. He then drove me back to my car and made me wait in the taxi while he fuelled up my car.
After all this, he refused to take my money for the fare. He said he had a daughter my age and would hate to think someone would leave her stranded. He made me promise not to run out of petrol again.
I'd love to say I kept that promise but I never believe that little light.

Was in a pub a few years ago when a pissed bloke stumbled into me and knocked me over and went to step over me. The most beautiful man I have ever seen came over, pulled me to my feet and insisted the pissed bloke apologised.

Beautiful man checked I was ok and insisted on replacing my spilt drink. We started talking and got on well, chatting and laughing for about an hour. We had loads in common and his personality was just as attractive as his looks.

I went to the loo and came back and he was surrounded by girls far younger and more beautiful than me. And I was 30 and attractive but this man was film - star gorgeous and these girls were film star beautiful. I hadn't thought he'd fancied me anyway so I went back to my friends.

After about 10 minutes he came over and asked why I hadn't gone back after going to the loo and I said something like ' oh you were busy with all those beauties ha ha'. And he replied (the words are etched on my memory) ' they're kids, how could you possibly think they'd interest me more than you? Because you're amazing'.

My self esteem was pretty shot at that stage in my life and couldn't believe he'd like me and I said 'are you doing this for a bet with your mates because it's not funny'. He looked hurt and said no and tried to talk to me but I walked away and left.

What a fucking twat (me).

Aaaah this thread has encouraged me to look up (FB) the wonderful lovely nurse who cleaned me up and was so kind to me when DD was born... There is a nurse called Trudy still working at the hospital. Could it be the same one? Trudy isn't a common name, it must be her...

Thinking about sending her a thank-you - is that weird? I don't think I ever thanked her properly at the time.

I love this thread too! I can't think of any to add, my memory is shot, but i know I've had some similar experiences and I'm really enjoying reading them

I think about the lady with coffee coloured skin I chatted to on the bus one night. We really bonded, she felt almost like family.

About twelve years ago, ana ctor from a tv soap I fancied came into the pub I worked in a few times. I saw him looking at me and wish I'd tried to talk to him.

Another actor came into that pub. He used to drink whiskey and was quiet and unassuming but sometimes seemed like he would like to chat but I didn't. I wish I had. Not in a romantic way, but I think he would have been interesting.

Yes, with a new baby in pram food shopping, I got to til everything scanned and I had forgotton my purse! The man behind me offered to pay, I thanked him and declined (walked 30mins home to get purse!) but I always remember him and his kindness.

3 years ago on my wedding day. Dh and I didn't have much money but wanted to get married and as our 10 year anniversary was approaching we thought we'd do it on that day. Got registry office booked, I bought a tea dress type dress, dh bought a suit jacket. Was all off the high street, no flowers or cake etc As I'm nc with my family we thought we'd just do it with the 2 of us, ds and ds and 2 witnesses. I was really happy that we'd got married but somewhat saddened that it wasn't a 'fancy' dressy do, surrounded by loving family etc and I remember leaving the registry office and people were obv looking for the bride leaving in a wedding dress so I felt somewhat silly walking past in my little group I remember walking down one of our city's lovely streets and there was an older couple coming towards us. They were in their 60's I'd say but dressed so beautifully, really stylish and I remember how dapper the gentleman looked. Our photographer friend said to them "they've just got married!" and gestured to dh and I, I felt daft for not looking like an 'obvious' bride but this couple were amazing. They stopped to talk to us and said they were on holiday from America and their son had recently got married and wished us a very happy future together. The gentleman said I looked beautiful and I was so touched. I'm welling up now remembering it! It helped me remember just why I was getting married in the first place, and not to feel bad that I wasn't spending money I didn't have to do it a different way.

I only wish I'd bumped into them beforehand and maybe they could've been witnesses too

I wonder about a lady that I met in Birmingham airport. I was early for my flight back to Dublin and the place was almost empty. This lady chose to sit beside me in although there were loads of free seats and I wondered why.

It turned out she wanted to chat. She had come over to support her sister who had sadly found out at 20 weeks of pregnancy that her baby had probably fatal foetal abnormalities. He might live for a little while after he was born but would never be healthy even if he did survive the many surgeries he would need to survive. So, her sister and husband had cried and agonised. Being Irish and catholic. like most of us they, they had been brought up to believe that terminating a pregnancy is wrong under all circumstances. And this baby had a small chance of surviving so it wasn't as clear-cut as they would have preferred.

In the end they decided to let their little boy go. The lady called her sister, the lady at the airport, to come over and support her. She did because she would do anything for her sister.

After the procedure, the lady said that she knew it sounded strange but they felt enveloped by the loving spirit of the baby.

She said that back where she came from, in a rural Irish village, that people knew her sister had been pregnant. All the elderly aunts and uncles were surprisingly supportive and said the couple had made the right decision.

She wanted to know what I thought and I said her sister and her husband had made the right choice. They did it out of love for their little boy because they didn't want him to suffer. I hope I reassured her.

I often think about her and about her sister and husband that I never met. I wonder if they had any more children and I hope they were able to carry on. I later lost my baby daughter to SIDS which makes me think of them more.

Mines a recent one so I still have hope that I'll meet this person again...

I was first at the scene of a crime so had to call the police. The victim and her child were hysterical and I had no idea what to do/say to comfort them. Passers by stopped to ask what was going on and due to the nature of the crime I was starting to get a bit shaky/tearful. A stranger could sense this and started talking to me about what I work as, how my day went, the weather etc. (anything to take my mind off what I'd just seen.)
We waited together for the police to arrive, I gave my statement and said 'am I ok to go now?' The policeman said yes and that they would be in contact with me so I started walking home. I got home still shaken up and thought I should've said thank you and goodbye to that stranger!

I do remember him saying he was a vicar at a local evangelical church, I'm not religious in anyway but in the back of my mind I keep thinking maybe it was a sign that I should be...

I am really pleased that people liked the thread I started. I have read all the messages and it is so nice that such lovely people still exist in the world.

Lovely stories. I was on a flight to Glasgow for a job interview, only 20 at the time and was in tears by the time we took off. There had been a delay and time was tight, didn't know Glasgow airport at all, but knew I needed to find the taxi rank fast. A kind old man asked what was wrong and calmed me down during the flight, then as soon as we landed grabbed my hand and ran me through the airport, pushed me in a taxi shouting good luck. I made it with minutes to spare and got the job.

When my dad was dying, we were in and out of the area he was in. When it became clear that we needed to say goodbye and let him go, I went to get my family to be with dad. There was an elderly man stood by the ward door crying, he looked at me and said 'you too lass?' He had been sitting with his wife whilst she was dying. I remember looking at him in tears but not saying anything. I feel so bad because I couldn't offer him comfort when he was so alone. He does haunt my thoughts whenever I remember that day.

Can't believe this thread still hasn't made classics! I made the request too.

I don't have a story to add, but some of the ones on this thread have been so heartbreaking or heartwarming, I think it would be a huge shame to lose them forever.

Someone I did see again. I was on a bus and this amazingly androgynous person got on, long strawberry blond hair, immaculately made up, they got off before me, a few weeks later I saw this same person at a religious meeting, we introduced ourselves, it turned out he was male but gay (hey ho ) we became really good friends and he knew I fancied him. I've since moved to London but I'll never forget him.

As I walked into a local bar I locked eyes With the most beautiful man I have ever seen in my life to this day. A young man with the most beautiful eyes.
My friend said to me have you seen that guy he is staring at you. I looked up and there he was in front of me. He had left his group to come and talk to me and it was like someone sprinkled magic dust over us. I was glowing like the ready brek boy is the only way I can describe it.
We made small talk but it was the feeling that was so strong and so intense. After that evening I knew and he knew we couldn't persue this for various reasons. He was the love of my life it was like a night of walking on air. I will never, ever forget him and feel incredibly blessed to have experienced this magical feeling even though I never will be with him again.

When I had DD I had a massive life threatening bleed. When I was brought back to life I woke to see a beautiful Middle Eastern looking man above me saying in the most beautiful voice " verity? Verity?" I honestly thought he was the face of Jesus. I will never forget him as long as I live. He saved my life. Everything about his aura was kindness and compassion - he had a beautiful soul. I didn't even talk to him I just knew how amazing this man was/ is.