Talking to a Stranger

As children, we’re told not to talk to strangers. I would teach Neil the same thing. This is necessary so that kids are not lured by people who may have evil intentions. But even when we are older and are better able to protect ourselves, we still hold on to this mentality of avoiding talking to strangers (not counting short, random exchanges).

So, when was the last time you got to know a complete stranger?

Me? The other day.

I shared a tricycle ride with a lady and she asked me how much the fare was. “P12.” Normally I would stop here and I would just ignore the person for the rest of the trip. But then I continued, “P24 pag mag-isa ka lang.”

That started it. She said she was a broker at our subdivision and she just started working again after 2.5 years. Our initial conversation was about the house model, the village, etc. but then turned to more personal topics. The reason she stopped working was that she had to take care of her husband who suffered a stroke, but he died last year. I shared a little bit about my family life as well.

Before this, I really cannot recall knowing anybody outside school, work, the neighborhood, church, or where there is no transaction involved. Sometimes I don’t make the effort because it’s unlikely that a second encounter will happen, but I took that step anyway. Maybe we’ll see each other again. Maybe not. At least it made the trip more meaningful.

It was actually a short tricycle ride but we were both on the way to SM so the conversation continued on in the jeep. She even paid for my fare. Before we parted, we exchanged names and numbers. There is one less stranger in the world.