Convention-al Kindness

(I’m at a comic convention where I have been hanging out with both good friends and casual acquaintances. I bought the train tickets back home beforehand but pretty much everyone I know begins to leave over an hour before my train does. I’m tired after the three convention days and since during this time I am still living in a small village, these events were pretty much the only time I got social. I’m talking with this guy who I’ve met only a few times, always at conventions, so we don’t know each other that well. He and his girlfriend have just talked about leaving themselves.)

Me: “You guys are leaving, too?”

Guy: “Yep. Better do it just before the con ends so that you don’t get stuck in the human mass.”

Me: “That seems to be the tactic for everyone I know here. I’ve still got an hour and a half before my train leaves and I have no idea what to do with that time. And I’ve got a train switch that’s over half an hour.”

Guy: “Where do you need to switch?”

Me: “[City].”

Guy: “Hey, that’s where [Girlfriend]’s parents live! Right next to the train station, too. We’re actually going to drive to their place straight from here and there’s room in the car. Just hop in and come with us. We’ll keep you company until your train leaves.”

(I was so stunned that someone who, at the time, was a casual friend I saw maybe twice a year would not only offer me a ride, but also invite me to hang out with him, his girlfriend, and his girlfriend’s parents, just so I wouldn’t need to be lonely. It’s been several years now and today he’s one of my closest friends.)