What's the most wholesome encounter you've had with a random stranger?

It was Friday night. I visited a Cafe Meetup. It’s an international meetup, so people from all over the world come and chat.

Cafe closed at 11pm so a handful of people decided to move to a different location.

We visited a bar called Vodkaria.

We sat down outside. I sat on the edge of the bar, with my back to the street.

I ordered a Vodka-Cola which ended up being a much bigger punch than I expected.

I talked to the girl next to me when I caught a glimpse of a guy in his mid-thirties walking around our table.

He said something along the lines of: “I love the multiculturality of your table, especially the Asians!”

One of my Asian friends, who was a girl, just laughed awkwardly.
I thought he wanted to hit on her.

He came closer to my side of the table (It was a huge table) and I got a closer look at him.

Short hair. Brown in color, just like his eyebrows. Flawless skin, very friendly looking guy. He had a very outgoing personality. He held a glass of sparkling wine in his right hand.

I love extroverts, so I decided to throw a word at him.

I could hear the passion from his words.

“I’m doing amazingly, and you? I find it amazing how multicultural you guys are!”

He was not only drunk, but he was also as friendly as he looked.

I spotted a book in his other arm.

I’m a huge reader. But most of all, I was surprised why the heck this guy had a book in his hands. It was 2am and he was walking around the street, drinking and reading books?

I asked him about the book. Little did I what would happen once I saw it. I just thought it was another novel.

It was a Book by Dalai Lama.

My excitement doubled. I love people who read those kinds of books.

I told him how amazing and enchanting I find his personality.

He thanked me with one of the most genuine smiles I’ve seen.

I asked: “So now you’re just walking around with a book in your hand, drunk and approaching random people on the street? Why?”

“Well, wife and kids are sleeping. I can go out and have my fun! I work in economics, but I’m not really into boring studies and long meetings. What I love is a glass of wine and a book in my lap. That’s my taste.”

I asked him for his name because I really wanted to see his online presence when I came home.

We wrapped it up and gave each other a big bro fist. Though he was like double my age.

I googled him when I came home and he’s teaching economy & management at the local university. He’s got his own Xing profile wearing a suit and a necktie.

He’s got a Doctor Title and he advocates for a sustainable development of technology and economy in Germany. He’s teaching at our local University. I bet if I went there I’d see him in casual business wear.

That’s what I find so fascinating about him. On one side, he’s a “professional” economy guy, but on the other side he likes to drink and just be a regular person who walks around drunk and one of Dalai Lama’s Books in his Hands.

One of the best nights ever.