Last Saturday I went to a badass dark techno party. On a short "fresh air" break, a guy - a little bit smaller and skinnier than me - started asking money to the people next to me. It was 3 am and pretty frisky.
When he came to me, I realized he had no shirt. So I asked him: "Where is your shirt?".
He answered in some unidentifiable language (for me at least). So I asked him in several languages:
" You speak French, Spanish, English?"
Again, he answered, but I have no idea what.
I had to change my technique. So I showed him my shirt and made a "what is going on" emoji 🤷♂️. (It was kind of stupid to ask... I would not understand his answer anyway).
So I asked the girl next to me to hold my "cigarette". She looked at me and I felt she was about to say no, but while she started answering she changed her mind and said ok.
I took my brand new shirt off and put it on that little dude. He tried to resist at first, but quickly realized he had no choice: I was dressing him.
When his head popped out of the shirt, a huge smile was on his face. He looked at the shirt, touched it, looked at me, bowed to me to show his gratitude and something crazy happened:
He took off jumping and screaming of joy. Found an empty can and started playing football with it until he turned around the corner and I lost him from my sight.
I turned around, now in a tank top, thanked the girl for holding my "cigarette" and stayed there alone.
There was no payback. The girl didn't say anything. The people around merely realized what had happened.
But, the smile I saw, the sound I heard coming from that dude invaded my mind for a couple of days. It helped me remember that I used to be proud to defend light and love at all cost.
So many years living in the world I was in, and going through a horrendous treason and heartbreak a few month ago, seeing my dreams collapse, my business go down, being fired from my current job a week earlier and having heard my wife tell me "Love without money ain't worth much" before going to her boyfriend's place, leaving me and my daughter behind.
I was filled with rage, anger and resentment. I had forgotten what it was like to see someone smile genuinly. I had forgotten what it was like to feel good. And when I say good, I mean good inside. Not the "good" from drugs, alcohol or a few special moments with my friends or daughter.
I might not be successful, get rich and give my daughter everything she needs. But I will not rest until I have educated my daughter to love the next person. Until she realizes that Love trumps money, success and hate all the time.
I always told my wife "I'd rather live under a bridge with people I love, than live in a Castel with people I merely tolerate".
stormborns
izzy806
theartofmadeline
blakekathryn
areudirty
