Tea With A Stranger

People who have never been away from home can find the prospect of travelling to a new country both exciting and terrifying all at once. I had been planning on travelling to England to visit my uncle for over a year, and would welcome the chance to travel with open and slightly shaky arms. As the plane took off, my nerves started to calm and I welcomed this new experience and the chance for adventure. I’d always considered myself sort of a Bilbo Baggins type, reluctant to step out my door, yet once I was given a push, I threw myself into it and embraced what England had to offer. And while I was open to the blood pudding, the rain, and the cold, I was not open to what my uncle had in store for me. My first night in Brighton, England was spent in tears, wondering where my uncle had gone to; I’d been abandoned in a place where I knew no-one, had never met anyone, and had not thought to make alternate arrangements should something go wrong. I was alone. It turned out to be more of an adventure than I had bargained for, but I relished it. I explored the North Laine, hopping in and out of shops and purchasing tourist trinkets for everyone I cared about back home. I walked from one end of the Brighton Pier to the other, tasting fish and chips from each of the small beachfront restaurants, gaining a few pounds here and there. My uncle decided to host a beach party on my 6th night there, indulging in various drugs and too much alcohol. At one point, he tried to offer me drugs and I was nearly assaulted by one of his closest friends; I practically ran back to the house I was staying at, wanting more than anything to go and sleep. I’d forgotten, of course, that I did not have a key; around 1 am, and after centimetres of rain, an older man walked past and noticed me sitting there, crying. He happened to be the next door neighbour, and asked if I wanted to come in for a cup of tea and wait until I could get in. I was dubious at first, thinking of all the horror stories I had heard about strange older men and being invited to strange places, but I decided to embrace the adventure and joined him for tea. I am so very glad now that I did. Not only was it a delicious cup of tea, but one of the best conversations I’d ever had. While I ended up going home two days later, the trip was saved by the embrace of adventure and the kindness of one old man, and I discovered how to make the best of what was thrown at me.