Meeting FH for the first time
I met up with FH for a drink last night and was understandably nervous beforehand but had gone to yoga on Tuesday night to relax properly and also kept reminding myself that he’d had the courage to approach me about meeting up so I didn’t have decent enough reasons to be nervous really. I think the nerves were down to the fact that we’d told each other huge amounts of stuff in emails before finding out that we kinda knew each other in the real world. So just wasn’t sure what to expect, really.
Got there a few minutes earlier, took my time walking into the pub so it was about 6.05 when I went to the bar and got myself a nice cuppa. Just as I was ordering it, the big guy behind the bar insisted on seeing some identification!! I had to hunt through my giant bag to find my provisional licence which he then inspected with a fine tooth comb. That’s when I noticed FH was standing at the bar a couple of metres away from me, ordering his own drink.
Paid for my tea, went and got a table and sent him a quick text - then he happened to sit at a table literally in the next row from mine! He rang, and I kind of explained where I was sitting, and then he got up and started to walk still having not seen where I was, and I said “to your left” - he turned around and smiled, then brought his stuff over to where I was sitting.
And so the conversation began! “Hi, how are you, nice to finally meet you “ etc. We talked about all sorts of stuff, namely the huge coincidences and how I’ve met half of his family already (it’s tiny - him, his bro & sis, their parents and one grandparent). And also how both of us are in a really good place in our respective lives: moving forwards and turning dreams into realities slowly but surely. I feel like I’ve actually made a new friend!
Anyway I had the most amazing warm-rush type feeling when he talked about the positive impact that I’d had. You know that movie It’s A Wonderful Life? That’s how I felt yesterday, like George Bailey does in the end when he sees what a positive impact he’s made on so many others without even meaning to. FH thanked me for lots of things, but he mainly said that it was initially down to me getting the ball rolling which led to him being in such a great place, going to a top university on a scholarship to follow his dreams. Of course I deny any involvement in something so epic, all I did was provide a sympathetic ear and some details of my own experiences but it was so nice to think that I’ve brought lots of happiness into someone’s life. Does that make any sense?
We ended up talking for nearly 2 hours and neither one of us realized how quick the time had gone past so at around 8-ish we decided to call it a night and walked it to our respective bus stops, but he gave me a big hug and a quick peck on the cheek as he said goodbye. And I went home on the biggest natural high ever, feeling loads of happiness rushing through me. Ahhhhhhhhhh!
He’s keen to meet up once more before he moves up North and I told him that I’m going to see my fave movie of all time during this film festival, next Thursday, and he said he would love to come if I was able to get a spare ticket.