I used to work with an interesting chap. I won't give away his name, but let's just say it began with A.. and ended with ..drian.
He was a really kind hearted fella, who often saw the good side of people. He always found interesting ways to fill his lunch hour... "oh i'm just off to buy some left handed banjo sheet music" or "I just need to nip and buy a dog collar for my whippet" being two memorable quotes he offered as he left the office.
He is now sadly working elsewhere, well sad for us- probably untrammelled joy for him. But one particular thing he said to me has stuck in my mind..
We were talking about what he was planning to do later on in the evening after finishing his shift. He told me that sometimes he'll call into a local takeaway place (in Brecon, i think) and have a sneeky half pint of beer while he sits reading some local newspaper waiting for the food. And he told me that he finds such joy in a simple pleasure like this; a brief oasis of time to himself during which he sometimes found himself welling up at the happiness of it all.
And.. I knew exactly what he meant. And it was a story that summed him up perfectly- generous spirited and open to discussing how he felt and to gently ridicule himself. And to nail in a little aside something i could really relate to.
Good man Ade, it's a shame he left.
[And a shame that the last time i saw him was on his drunken leaving do when he was cussing me and Al big style for not going to the local wine bar nite spot. Ah well]
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