A recent ‘event’ happened in the Gardens of the Brighton Pavilion which reaffirmed why stereotypes, in isolation, are misleading and often unrepresentative of a person.
After a walk along Madeira Drive I made my way to the gardens as a cut through to the North Lanes. A chap, with a walking stick and a limp came into my view. He was dressed in the style of a street person having had a rough night.
His opening gambit was blurted out ‘…. And there bl…..f… shut …’ steps were taken … ‘I am going to Wheatherspoons … they have loos.’
By this time we were side by side and I slowed as he had a smaller pace than me and was chatting.
‘I’ve only been here for three days and it’s fantastic.’ His righthand was thrust forward and he dangled entry tickets he had gathered and showed me with pride and glee. He continued to talk as though I had known him for ever.
We got to the southeast corner of the gardens which was a natural place to separate and go our own ways, but as we stopped we naturally turned to faced each other.
He started to tell me a new facet to his time here and stepped off towards the main road … I felt compelled to follow.
He told me of something that happened at a concert he was at which happily pleased me. He and some new friends noticed a young girl being harassed by a chap. They told him to go away in terms he could not ignore. A few minutes later the errant chap returned and continued to harass the girl: so the group returned to help her.
He did not return!
We stopped outside Wetherspoon’s and after he realised I was not going in we said our goodbyes and that was it.
Now this chap had no cause to fabricate this story. He was in high spirits when we walked and talked and I would describe him as bubbly person.
There was a 99% certainty that our paths would never cross again … so … is it true? What would he gain by telling me?
The outward appearance of an individual is not a reflection of their true well being or nature or attitude towards life.
It is often quoted … ‘the eyes are the window to the soul ‘: so I always try to look …. I did look and saw no malice or contempt; I saw a chap happy in his own skin.
The view from my eye alone 