Recently my husband and a relative went to a restaurant for breakfast. As they were leaving, they seemed to hear someone mentioned my husband's name.
There were some Chinese men sitting in a corner of the restaurant. One of them said to another man, "You are wrong! It can't be him (i.e. my husband). He lives in the same city as my brother. It is far from here." My husband looked at all the men sitting there. He did not recognize anyone of them. He thought they could not be talking about him. He continued to walk out of the restaurant.
The relative had worked in Chinese restaurants. He opened his own restaurant some years ago. He said to my husband, "I am sure they are talking about you. I kind of recognize the one that may have said your name. Some years ago, I went to a restaurant looking for a job. He was in charge of the kitchen. He knew you. He said you and him had worked very well together for a busy restaurant." My husband took another look at that man. Three of the men also stood up to look at him. They said, "Oh, it is really him!"
It turned out my husband knew most of the men that were there. Decades had gone by. Their hair were now gray or white. Their physical appearances had changed quite a bit. For instance, the one that called out my husband's name used to be slim and his face was narrow; now he was not slim and his face was round. It was quite a moment when they looked at one another after so many years. For the next hour and a half, my husband caught up with his friends about their lives. The relative left because he had to attend to his restaurant business.
Like my husband, his friends were retirees. They said they met at the restaurant regularly twice a week. They asked my husband to join them from then on.
When I learned about what happened, I was very happy for my husband. I also thanked the Divine for answering my prayer.
Since the restaurant years, my husband did not talk much. He only showed some enthusiasm when I talked to him about his experiences long time ago. I had heard most if not all of his stories, but that was a way to start a conversation with him. His heart was closed. Even with our dear ones, he seemed to be distant sometimes. I had been praying for him to meet up with some of his friends. With friends, I believed he might open up and feel less disconnected to the world around him.
For the last two weeks, my husband has joined his friends at the restaurant. He says the meeting was just all right. He has as yet shown gladness or eagerness in going to see his friends. In time, I hope he will.
Many blessings,
Q of D
P. S. After some time, my husband learned his friends actually met at the restaurant for a cup of coffee every morning during the week. A few of them might leave around 10 or 11 am to go to work, but there were always others that stayed in the restaurant. My husband had since joined his friends every morning, rain or snow. Sometimes they talked until 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Eventually, my husband went there everyday, and was among the last ones that left the restaurant.
