by ACTUALLY HAPPENED
This is Charlie, and he wants to tell you about his best friend. You might think that this is going to be an ordinary school story about best buddies, but you’d be wrong. The thing is that Charlie made friends with a homeless man, and they managed to help each other a lot. Listen to his unbelievable story.
The day was as horrible as any other school day when Charlie had a physics class. He hated physics for two reasons. The first one was that he didn’t understand it at all. It was the only subject that made him feel totally clueless. The second reason is connected to the first one. Charlie’s dad is a physicist and he thinks that a son who doesn’t have straight A’s in physics is a reason to feel ashamed as a parent, as a scientist and generally as a human being. Charlie had tried everything to explain to him that it was just not his thing. He even tried taking private physics classes. Nothing helped.
That day was the last straw. Charlie brought home a D in physics again, and was gearing himself up for another boring discussion about “priorities” with his dad. But things went awfully wrong. That time his dad literally became hysterical, yelling “I don’t need a son as stupid as you! I don’t have a son anymore!” Well, THAT was what you call an overreaction. And needless to say, Charlie was really VERY offended. So he packed up things for a couple of nights and stormed out of his home. It seemed a nice idea to him at the time – he simply wanted to spend a couple of nights on the street. The nights were warm, and his parents would quickly find him if he went to any of his friends. He was sure that by the time he returned, his dad would have calmed down. He left his phone at home, of course.
Charlie’s plan didn’t go as well as he imagined it would. It was already evening and he was walking around the streets looking for a place to sleep. It wasn’t easy. In the end, he opted for the old classic of sleeping under the bridge. When he saw that there was already a group of ominous-looking homeless people there, he realized that his enthusiasm for the idea had already disappeared.
He was starting to seriously consider going back home, when an elderly man came up to him and asked: “Welcome, son. Are you looking for some place to sleep?” He had a friendly smile, and seemed quite ok – he had a clean face, and old but neat clothes. Charlie decided to stay for a while and joined him near the fire. He was evidently curious, and asked him how he had come to spend the night all alone away from his parents. Charlie felt that his story was utterly stupid, but he just spat it out all in one go. The old man was pretty amused. “So, you have problems with physics, eh? What’s the topic you got a D for?” “Newton’s second law”. “But why?
It turned out that his new friend’s name was Bob. He was a retired physics teacher and had moved there from another state. He used up all his savings to buy a house, but it was a fraudulent deal, and he had nowhere to live and no family to turn to. He also wanted to get a job, but couldn’t because he was homeless. After all this, he joined up with a group of other homeless people and stayed positive. His story was so inspiring! To be honest, Charlie felt like an idiot. “Look”, he said, “I need to go home. I’ve made a mistake and now it’s late already.” Bob said it was a wise decision and that he would accompany him.
As they were walking home, Charlie was thinking of asking Bob to give him some physics lessons – this would be a job for him, and a relief for Charlie. But he forgot it all at once when he opened the door and saw his mom crying and his dad standing embarrassed in the background. The hugs finished, and Charlie noticed that Bob was silently walking away. “Wait, wait!” he called out. He invited him in, explained to his parents who Bob was, and made him a cup of coffee – it was the least he could do. His dad seemed genuinely interested and started a conversation about physics. As for his mom, she was just thankful that he got back home safe and sound.
So this is how that day finished. And this is how he met his best friend Bob. So, that’s it? you ask. You said you helped each other, and now it seems that it’s only he who has helped you! But there’s a good conclusion to the story. Charlie’s dad liked Bob a lot, and he proposed a solution – at his office they needed a lab technician, so he offered the position to Bob. That way he could rent an apartment. At the same time, Charlie asked Bob to give him private physics lessons, and soon both his marks and his relationship with his dad improved. Both his life and Bob’s would be much worse if they hadn’t met each other, and Charlie is proud to say that Bob, an elderly ex-homeless guy, is his best friend, and he hopes that Bob thinks the same.
