Fate

So awhile ago, my friend M (who helps me out with this blog) met a guy named Alberto on the 'el'. M took a really brave step that night and helped out Alberto, when he needed a shoulder to lean on, and was lucky enough to make a new friend. Not only is this story a great reminder of how much a chance encounter can change us, but a reminder that it's really important to talk to people and make connections with others.

He's kindly agreed to let me share the story with you, as he told it to me.

Gchat conversation with M:  

so i get off the train  walking home.22:25 and i get to sheridan rd.  while walking down granville, i notice a random girl walking past me  carrying target bags22:26 meanwhile, i'm on the phone with my mom22:27 and she's annoyed at me  and she's saying blablabla  anyways, i hang up, right as i get to sheridan. there's a bus stop there.  i look up, and in front of me is the girl with the bags  standing still
22:28 she goes, hey, can you check on him  i don't know if he's okay  i look just passed the fence when i get to where she's standing and there is a man laying down on his bike  kind of like he was riding it, fell, and never got up22:29 instead he just curled into the fetal position  i go, sir are you okay?  he goes, i'm okay  ya  I'm okay  but i can't see his face, it's covered by his hand and partially by his hat  i'm like what the ef he says, i'm fine, don't worry.
22:30 i ask if he needs anything  or if he wanted anything  if there was anything i could help him with  he's like, no no i'm fine  i'm just taking a break  i'm like okay  the girl is kind of scared and walks away  i tell her don't worry  22:31 i kind of walk away  i take 3 steps, and i'm like what the hell  i'm not walking away  i'm like, get up  i don't believe that you're okay  he's like okay okay  i'm fine.  i'm like where are you going  he just says south22:32 he says, what's your name,  i tell him  then he looks up at me  and shuffles up and scoots back on his butt  and sits with one knee over the other, like he's relaxing on a bunch  except it's cold and rainy  i also got a whiff of the alcohol when he sat up
22:33 i'm like, can you get up  he tries and eventually props himself up  I'm like there is no way this man is in any condition to ride his bike  I ask him a bunch of times if he's alright,  if i can help him  then he bursts into tears22:34 he's sobbing, waling, and just pouting.... "i'm sorry"  this goes on for a good 10 min  during which, i'm like, you're alright, why are you sorry. blablablha  he goes, i'm fine. i'm fine.  calms down22:35 and he asks me my name again  and he would say 1 sentence in english then talk something that sounded like japanese and spanish blended    i'm like, can you call someone  do you need help
22:36 i'm not going to leave him the way he is22:37 and i'm starving and holding food for me and my brother  finally, he's like can i have your phone number  so i write it down for him  he's like i want to be friends with you  we need to talk and then he talked in gibberish language again
22:38 he's like, let me tell you something  by this point, he's standing up in my face, and looking right at me.  and he says, let me tell you something, i know all about you  you, you're an arab  how.  how? how are you an arab?22:39 how are you arab? and still a nice person?  how?
  why do you care so much?      i laughed, and i was like.. i don't know  then he would talk in gibberish again22:40 he kept saying the same thing  ocho koyo something something  ocho koyo  ocho koy  i didn't get him  after about 20 min of this  i told him, how are you going home  he says, i'm going south22:41 and told me some address, and i told him you can't ride your bike like this  how about you take the train  
so i sent him home on the train, and i have his bike on my balcony,  i'm calling him tomorrow to come get it  or he's calling me  so yea.  that's most of the story22:42  and while on the way talking to the train, he goes, how did we meet. i just say, "fate"  and he stops walking, and says...... whoa.. fate. hahahahahaha
22:43 that's the story of me and my friend alberto  i also talked on the phone to his church friend carol  who told me he's not supposed to drink  and wanted to make sure i wasn't raping/stealing/killing him22:44 and also asked how we had crossed paths  i told her i found him on the sidewalk "fate"