So this just happened.

I came out of Fred’s with my groceries to see a young woman with a blond pony tail seated on the sidewalk, leaning against the store. She had a sign indicating she was in need. A tall young man was leaning in, talking to her in a kind voice. I saw him hand her cash, as he talked to her. He held a bouquet of bright flowers – orange and yellow – and he plucked two flowers from the bouquet and handed them to her. She reached up and hugged him.

I’d walked up to them by this point, and asked the woman if she’d like an apple and she said yes. “For the princess,” I said, handing her the apple.

She had tears as her eyes swept from me to the young man. “Thank you,” she said. “Thank you.”

The young man and I walked next to each other as we left her. I asked him if I could shake his hand, and he smiled and agreed to this. We stopped walking and he told me he’d had a rough life, but he didn’t blame anyone for that. The teacher/mom in me came up then and I gave him a hug.

We exchanged names. I learned he is Ron, and “My name is of course, Karen,” I told him. He started laughing. I asked him if the flowers were for his wife, and he said he’d already given her flowers, but these were for his mom. Then I learned he was planning to walk with the groceries and flowers to his mom’s place – and she lived down on West Fairhaven Street. I asked him if I could give him a ride. His face lit up and he thanked me.

When we got to my car, another young man who was parked near my car, greeted Ron – at first I thought they must be old friends, but then I realized they’d never met before – they just reocognized a kinship with each other. As Steven and Ron chatted, Ron learned that Steven had just bought a house that needed some work, and Steven learned that Ron was a carpenter! Steven grinned and spread his arms out wide, like “See? We were meant to meet!” Steven smiled at me and said, “I’m a superstitious person. I believe in these things.” Then he turned around and showed me the back of his jacket, and opened his jacket up to show me his beads and crucifix.

Ron showed Steven his beaded bracelet then, and the two of them let me snap pictures of their beads.

After Ron and Steven had exchanged phone numbers, I cleared out room for Ron in my car and we started our drive to his mom’s place. On the way Ron told me he was looking forward to going to his job that night. I asked him where he worked, and he told me he worked in Bow. I told him I lived in Bow, and his eyes got big in surprise. He said he worked at the Edison Inn in Bow, and told me how much he enjoyed working there. He said it was like a family there. Everyone cared about each other, and treated each other right.

When I dropped him off at his mom’s apartment, Ron said he hoped he’d see me at the Edison sometime. And I told him he probably would. We hugged and wished each other a good day. I told him to hug his mom for me, too. “A hug from the crazy Karen,” I said, and he started laughing.

“You aren’t a crazy Karen,” he said. “You’re a good Karen.”