Steak.

Two years ago, the carer for my Mum, she is from a hot country abroad, it was the height of Summer here in England. She said to me, “I told my Husband it is Very hot here, too hot.” He said, “I Don’t believe you.” The country she is from, I could well understand his words, as we are famous for snow, rain, and the cold. The carer, like the rest of us, was not coping. I said to her, “If it is India, China, Africa or Saudi Arabia, when we have Summers like this, we beat the world!” She could not argue with that, she said, “I agree with you.”

It has been very hot recently in England, there was no let up night or day, it was draining, uncomfortable, unbearable, for man and beast.

On one of these very hot days, I decided on my day off to walk into town instead of taking the car. I had something that I needed to return to the shop, and knew I needed to buy 6 tins of cat food. I was dressed in one of my favourite lightweight tie-dyed linen blouse and a lightweight skirt. It was just after lunchtime, and I hadn’t yet had breakfast, as I felt an urgency, to get out into the hot sun, as soon as possible. I decided, I would buy something to eat, up town, hopefully something reduced.

It was a very lovely slow long walk, and the satisfaction of knowing that I would be getting my 10,000 steps in. After I had got the refund that was a weight off my mind, I suddenly felt hungry and then had to decide what I was going to eat. I decided to go to Greggs because I have not bought McDonald’s for over a year now, as they have got too expensive. I will eat it, if it is bought for me, and thoroughly enjoy it.

We have a lot of Greggs stores in our little town, so I had to decide which one. I decided to go to what I call, is the main one.

It had recently been refurbished, I wasn’t sure what was done, as I have never sat down and eaten in a Greggs, the old Greggs had seats inside and the new Greggs also had seats inside.

As I walked in, I went up to the counter, I could see there was a customer sitting down. I don’t go often to Greggs, but when I do go, I always say the same thing at the till. I asked the staff, “Is there something about to come out of the oven?” She turned around and asked my question to her colleguge, the reply was, “No.” I then asked the next question that I usually ask, “What is the hottest, latest item that you have?” She said, “The steak bake,” I said, “I will have that.” I was shocked to see that all items on offer were £2.10 or more! I thought, it is still cheaper than McDonalds! And even if it wasn’t, it was the principle, that I was sticking to my guns, and not going in there. She put it into the little paper bag, and I decided I was going to eat in, I assumed we were allowed to. I walked over to the corner, and with the wall behind me sat down, on a table that would seat four. I didn’t sit on the left of the table but sat on the right side of the table. So, I was sitting on a very long comfortable bench, it was almost the length of the wall, it was just one long line, with tables in front of it. Not only was the bench padded but the padding was for the back too.

I opened up the little paper bag and took my first little bite, there should have been a health warning, for it was pipping hot! Yum, just how I loved it and hoped against hope it would be! It was very tasty and hot! I thoroughly enjoyed it, it was hot to the very last bite, I couldn’t have asked for a better steak bake. It was worth the £2.10p, satisfied, I folded up the little paper bag, that also had my red lipstick on the edge of it, and sat there a moment.

Just then, I heard a voice next to me, he said, “Hello,” I looked to my right and there was a gentleman, looking at me, he had sat on the table next to mine, his was a table for two. I said, “Hello,” Back.

From that hello, we had a lovely chat, he told me about his family life, his life when he was young, the ups and downs in his life. It was such a privilege to sit there and have a chilled conversation with him. After about an hour I asked, “What is your name?” He said, “Paul,” I said, “Paul is my favourite boys name.” I went on to tell him why, “I read about Paul in the Bible, he was a passionate man, who hated Christians, he was on the road, to Damascus to go and find Christians and any he found, he was going to drag them out of their homes and take them to jail!”

“But on the road to Damascus, Jesus met him there! He was blinded by the light, and at someone’s home, he saw a man coming to pray for him to receive his sight. Ananias went to the house and prayed for “Brother Saul.” And from that moment on, he could see again, and then he was Passionate about telling others about Jesus, then the non-Christians wanted to kill him!”

I told Paul, “My Husband, all the first-born sons in his sisters’ and brothers’ families, have named their sons after their dads, I asked Fred, before we got married, so, “If we have a son, will he be called Fred?” He said, “No.” I said, “If we have a son, can we call him Paul?” He said, “No.” I said, “Paul will always be my favourite boys name.”

He told me, “My father was not very nice,” He went into detail. Later his dad and brother died from dementia he said, “I am scared, in case I get it too.” I decided to do a mini quiz to help him, I had told him about Fred and the many animals that he had when I met him and before we got married, then I said to Paul, “You name me five of the animals that I have mentioned that he had.” Counting on his fingers, he said, “A monitor lizard, 50 tarantulas, a German shepherd,” Then he would go blank, I tried to give him clues, but that didn’t seem to help, so I said, locusts and 4 snakes, and African cockroaches.” I would add to the list of animals that Fred had, to try and make it easier with more choice, I added the pet rats, lurcher dog, the crow in the garden. I also told him my name, he was unable to remember it, so to him, I told him, “My favourite shop is TKMaxx,” I said, “Some people at work called me TKMaxine.” At first, that did not help him, for he still didn’t remember my name. But I didn’t give up. By the second hour, he remembered my name and many of the pets that Fred had when I first met him. He was pleased and so was I.

Paul told me, “I’m 78 years old, and nervous about getting to 80,” I said, 78 is a good age to be, for not everyone is blessed to get to that age, you are able to get on the bus, and go to your various activities.”

He’d bought a coffee and was drinking it slowly.

A man, after about 90 minutes of us sitting talking, he’d said to me, “Can I sit here?” I said, “Yes,” That man, then sat diagonal to me, so he was sat by the wall, even though he was on the same table to me, I didn’t look at him at all, as Paul and I continued to talk, non-stop.

Even though it was the hottest day of the year, I didn’t once think, I want this conversation to end, so that I can get back out in the sun. The only place I was going to go, after Greggs was the supermarket to get 6 tins of cat food! Today was just a lovely day, perfect, chilled, and unhurried.

After the man left my table I said, to Paul, “Can I pray for you?” Without hesitation he said, “Yes.” It seemed odd, not to bow my head and close my eyes, but with the information that he had given me, I prayed for him, there in Greggs, he looking at me, I looking at him. It was a short quiet meaningful prayer.

I asked, “How often do you come here?” He said, “Once a week.” I said, “I never go to Greggs really, the last time I went, was about 6 years ago, and I have never sat in.”

We talked for a long time, the store was never busy, with no more than 5 people seating at any one time, or less. Then suddenly the Staff announced to us, “We are short staffed, so we will have to close the shop now to clean.”

We all got up, Paul and I went outside, we shuck hands, and I said to him, “It was lovely to meet you,” Paul also said the same, “It was lovely to meet you too.” We said, “Goodbye,” and walked off in the opposite direction.

We had been talking for over 3 hours!

Back outside, in the heat of the sun, I went to the supermarket and got the 6 tins of cat food, and other goodies, and walked slowly home.

At home I told Fred and Meghan all about it, going into detail. Meghan said, “You should have taken his mobile number, or given him yours.” I said, “I didn’t think of that.”  

I thought about Paul the next day, as I wrote about him in my diary, like I told him I would, and I thought, IF he was sat in that seat where he had sat, I would not have gone and sat next to him, with the whole of the empty shop to choose from. I am SO glad that he did come over and sit next to me, for I would not have met such a lovely person.