Wonderful Strangers

Something happened recently that really made me miss my dad (who passed away almost 2 years ago.) I was out having a quiet dinner to myself while waiting for an audition, and I look to my right to see an older couple seated next to me. They looked to be in their early 60s. As they sat down, the man motioned with his head towards my plate.

"How is it?"

It took me a second to realize he was asking me a question. "How is it? Your meal, is it good?" he asked. I told him that it was, and we had a brief conversation about what was good on the menu. Throughout the meal he, or his wife, would ask me questions about New York (they were from Tucson but come to New York several times a year to see theater.) They were kind, jovial, inclusive. And I had a better dining experience having met them.

My dad used to do that. But I used to be embarrassed by it. He would just launch into joyful conversation with complete strangers, and I would always feel like we were imposing and I would get embarrassed. But this companionship with strangers was actually delightful, and it really made me miss the impact that my father had on the world. No wonder that my father's funeral was attended by dozens and dozens of co-workers from 3 different jobs he held over the years that we had never met. No wonder that those who couldn't make it held their own wake at an Irish pub and sent me pictures and video to commemorate it.

Now I have an extra smile for those I don't know, and I feel a little bit of my father with me. It is a little bit wonderful.