Been in this Starbucks for more than a month now. The cute cashier who remembered my name today told the cashier who was serving me that "She is Momo". The Cameroonian guy with whom I always share a table chatted a little with me, telling me he might go back to Cameroon at the end of the year, after twenty times of smile and "Can I sit here?" or "Hey, you again, can I sit here?" I told him about our summer plans. And the cute young Latino cashier brought the coffee I ordered to the table for me while I was busy chatting with the Cameroonian.
Human connections. Always what I have been looking for. Random chats in the street make me happy. Random in the sense that it's a total mix of people, no specific purpose of being there, just passing by. Chat a little about our respective lives, what bothers us, what makes us happy, and what's happening right now that catches our attention.
Whenever kids look at me, I smile at them. Kids often stare at people, and most people don't notice. I don't pay 100% attention, but if I see it, I 100% would smile at them.
Most people you meet in life, you only meet for once. Recurrence is extremely rare. With whoever I meet and catch a little of my attention, I give my 100%, because I know from the next second until the end, they will not be there. Maybe at the very end, when we all go back to be a part of the Gods/Goddesses, you'll see them and remember them again. But in the Earthy life, ya, nice to meet ya and farewell.
There are some places or things I wanted to revisit, but most of the time, that doesn't happen. Subconsciously, I always know. Hence, wherever new I go or whatever new I do, I take a trip of it. Entirely immerse myself in the experience. Like that time when I went to Walmart to buy Magnums. Walmart is not my usual route, I took a trip to enjoy Walmart. I got my Magnums. Stopped to talk to the Latino guys outside who were selling fresh strawberries and cherries. They asked me while I was stepping in, and when I saw them again while stepping out, I couldn't say no. Inside Walmart I talked to multiple people about where to find Magnums and how to pay etc. Walmart was ancient, they didn't have G-pay or A-pay, I had to fetch a physical card.
I Venmoed the Latino guys, got a whole box of strawberries and a bag of cherries. Cherries were for Maa, she loves cherries. The Latino guys used the same Venmo account, which belonged to their "boss". I was wondering how that worked, how they knew who sold how much. Basically, I bought from both of them because I just couldn't say no to either. Paid two times, but to the same Venmo account. Guess it's essentially a family business, with the "boss" most likely being their brother or cousin.
I miss the Yemeni guys who work in the vegetable market in Hayward. I haven't visited there for months! Even after my parents returned to China, I grew accustomed to bulk-buying at Costco because there was always something to purchase for Maa - new shoes, pants, socks, hats, vitamins, creams, and many gifts to bring back to India. The vegetables and fruits are always so fresh in their market! The young guys work there; their uncle owns it. It's also a family business. I enjoy spending time getting to know their stories - how they ran away from Yemen and settled here, how many months/years they got stuck in which country; who are here with wife and kids; whose wife still back in Yemen; where they kids go to school to or why their kids don't go to school. I will surely go back for a visit before the end of June, when our summer trip starts.
Finished the gift shopping for the coming trip. Filled two whole suitcases, one big one and one small, for a total of 45kg, all gifts, for London, China, and India. I can already imagine the happiness that people experience when they receive their gifts, especially in India. One time we spent Durga Puja in the village, and I prepared a whole suitcase of kids' stuff - nice toys, books, stationery, and candies/chocolates. The village kids crowded around me and politely took turns to get their gifts. They were sooooo happy, which made me sooooo happy. This time we'll spend a few days in the village again, because the new Shiva temple we funded to construct is almost done. Oh India, whenever we are there, we carry a loooot of cash and give it away to whoever helps us, drivers, carriers, guides, cleaners, cashiers, servers, you name it. The gratitude on people's faces was so sincere, a testament to the respect and cherishing they felt.
After I purchased the whole box of strawberries, I drove back home. When I was exiting the highway, a man stood there with a sign. I drove past him, couldn't stop. So I drove forward and stopped the car at a parking lot, took out 3 baskets of strawberries from the total of 6, put them in a plastic bag, and drove back to the highway exit. I stopped my car on the side, rolled down my window, called the man, and gave him the bag. He was so happy. I wish I could do more, but sometimes I don't carry cash or a whole box of fresh strawberries!
Raj told me when I was giving him massages last night, "You're free, you know. I read your blog, and I don't want you to feel that you're trapped here. I never wanted to chain you down, I was only afraid that you could get your heart broken. But if you want, you are free to love whoever you want in whatever way you want. Remember that I'm always here for you, you can always fall back." "Hmmmm, well, thank you. And ya, I was just in a bad mood, don't worry. I'll think about it later. I'm not in any rush lol!"
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