scoobydoo's blog: "my past caught up with me..."

First off, let me begin by apologizing for any typos, grammatical errors or spelling mistakes i may make ahead of time. I have never "blogged", so i beg urindulgence. however ,something pretty neat happened to me a few weeks ago and i feel the need to share the story. If no one reads it, oh well....

Many years ago,(i wont say exactly how m olany), i was working as a server at a popular waterfront restaurant on the beach. It was one of my first jobs and the restaurant still exists! One day i came to work and discovered we had hired a new dishwasher. I had always been one to make people feel  welcome ad i soon discovered that this young man was painfully shy and quiet. for good reason, as his knowledge of English was limited. For some reason i cant fathom, all of my co-workers had difficulty with his name.He was from Morrocco and before you knew it, he had been nickamed "Vic" a shortened version of his name....      Vic was . a hard worker and reliable and despite the language barrier we became friends

We would go out for drinks on the beach ,he attempted to teach me Arabic ,i taught him a little English   He spoke fluent French but i did not

I would like to think he became comfortable. Gradually, i learned a little about him. Like man people from other countries he had come to the United States to better himself. Morrocco was an economically depressed country. Despite having a degree n education and teaching...he made more money washing dishes here. He even sent some home to his family! Time passed and it came time for his work visa to expire. He was extremely distressed over this because he felt if he returned to Morrocco, he might not be able to return here. He explained tht he had a friend in New York City and he coul go there but was afraid. He asked me what i thought he should do? I replied that he would have to decide for hmself but NY was large and had ore opportunity,it was a risk but if he did not try would he always wonder what could have been? Shortly after that , Vic left for NY. as chance would have it, i spent some time in Long Island that summer. There were a few attempts at contact but i never saw Vic again...until 21 yrs. later nd the miracle of Facebook....    A few weeks ago ,i was browsing through Facebook and there was a message. This s not unusual in itself as w have all had that old high school buddy or sweetheart conact us. this time though...it was really special!            Vic is now 46 years old and he lives still in New York City. As luck  would have it, he was online at the time and within a few minutes we were happily chatting on the telephone! It was a little strange though because his English was unflawed! We spoke more in the first half hour than we had in the entire 6 months we worked together!   it gets even better though! Vic is the father of a handsome 2 yr.old boy. He is married to a lovely woman, a successful chef and owner of a small restaurant. Vic himself works at one of the nicest hotels in NY for a nationally known chef! Best of all, Vic is a United States citizen!                   Now, i dont know about you but all of this thrilled me! Vic thanked me for my kindess ,respect and good heart towards a young man in a strange country many years before. He said he had thought of me often...tried to contact me to no avail...he even remembered the color of my eyes and my middle name. He said my words were instrumental in the decision he made to go to NY and he has built himself a happy life. I was extremely moved and touched by this......This is taught me that no matter how inconsequential you think your words or actions may be ,you just never know. That kind word....random act of kindness...all could have a profound affect on someone elses life. so,if you happen to cross paths with a stranger...smile! It  doesnt hurt anyone and u never know..I just want to say that Vic and I have spoken several times sinceand i am happy and priveleged to have him back as a part of my life! If u read this my friend...I hope you like it! oh, did i menton Vic also is a Fubar fan?

.