One of the better evenings I have had. After a week of some good and bad news in professional life, had a nice cool down time with some personal friends and my wife at a local bar. After a really great time with some hearty laughter, everybody left – including my wife – for various Indian parties they had to go to. And I decided to hang around by myself and nurse my gin and tonic as I collected my thoughts for the week. I still had to fully accept my friend’s sudden bereavement.
Barely had my friends left, a couple came and sat beside me. Not to be conspicuous, I moved my barstool a little to give them some space. But in that “Thank you” … “No problem”… we got embroiled into a much much longer discussion. At some point I was feeling bad and apologized for imposing myself on their private evening. They insisted they were having a great time and wanted to talk more.
Fascinating discussions.
Found out Blaine used to work where I work today, nearly twenty years back!! He told me about my current company stories that were simply mind blowing. Found out that one of the pre-sales guys in my group started as a security guy at the front gate of our office and during night shift, he used to be bored and read up our system manuals! That is how he switched to technology!!!
I noted his lack of hair on head and commended him on his hairstyle and loudly wondered why I might like it 🙂 Well, I found out it is from chemotherapy 🙁 Blaine is a cancer survivor. Not once, not twice, thrice!!
Incredulous, I asked him “You have beaten back death thrice? I know nobody else like you. What is your epiphany moment?”. He told me that he wanted to get over his fears. So he skydived! I am like “You skydived to get over your fear of skydiving”? Oh! no! He not only got over his fear, he actually learned to love it. Has skydived for over 90 times. Does it every other week or so. Even Kim mentioned that she has skydived with him. (BTW, his suggestion for best skydive? Dubai SkyDive). I promised him to put it on my bucket list.
By this time, I had ordered some food. And I asked it to be with without cheese. Kim asked me if I was allergic to milk products. I mentioned that I was just watching my saturated fat and cholesterol. That led to a long discussion including how very few of us realize that our liver produces way more cholesterol (which actually is required by our body) than we ingest. And that a lot of this is about DNA. Speaking of DNA, she showed both her hands and pointed to her middle fingers – both were bent on the end. Evidently, everybody in her family has that!!
I noticed something else on her fingers, and asked why was the ring on the wrong hand. She let me know that they are not married. Have dated and lived together for 18 years. Never married though. Obviously, I had to ask why. “Because we don’t want to take each other for granted”. I was literally staring at them trying to grasp what they said. (also remembering that I had told my beautiful wife of 20 years that I would join her 30 minutes back 🙂 )
Eventually, I had to leave. I told them that they were the most unique couple I have ever met and after exchanging contacts wished each other that we have more “intersection points”!!
