The most random things can lead to fulfillment. That is what Josh Fernandez taught me. I met Josh, my friend from Malacca, when I was in Penang.

A few years ago I visited Malaysia and after spending a few days on Langkawi, I went to Penang. I checked into my hotel, kept my bags in my room, and went out for a walk. I walked from one street to another, looking with awe at the colonial buildings that lined both sides of the streets. I was about to take a selfie in front of a beautiful building when I heard someone say, ‘’Let me join you!’’ That is how I first met Josh Fernandez. He stepped into my life by walking into my selfie.

Then we took a walk together. I kept thinking about how different the two of us were. He danced as he walked, greeting random strangers, while I kept my normal pace. His carefree behaviour amused me. As we walked through the lovely streets of Penang, we discovered that we shared a passion for books. We started talking about books, and I found myself getting livelier every second. I no longer had the calm composure that I always tried to retain; I was literally shouting while walking, my emotions being reflected in my gestures, and I did not care what the other pedestrians thought of me. ‘’Who is your favourite author?’’ I asked.

‘’Tolstoy,’’ he replied.

I hadn’t read anything yet by the great Russian writer. ‘’I plan to read ‘War and Peace’ soon, though,’’ I told him.    

 ‘’You must read it,’’ he said.

 We sat down on the pavement. The streetlights were dim, it was already 9 pm, and the street was almost deserted. The moment felt surreal. Having always been an introvert, I had never imagined doing something as wild as roaming the streets of a foreign country with a stranger, and literally jumping on the streets while discussing my hobbies. We talked for hours, sitting on that very pavement, about books and hobbies and life in general. I was happy, truly happy. The most interesting thing was that those lively hours did not feel strange and unusual to me; I realised it was exactly the kind of person I was; I had never bothered to really express myself before.

 Hunger then led us to a street food stall. After dinner, he walked me to my hotel. ‘’I am staying there,’’ he pointed at the hotel next to mine. ‘’I’ll be leaving for Langkawi tomorrow.’’

 ‘’Tomorrow?’’ I asked, shocked. I had been expecting to spend more time with my new friend.

   ‘’But... I can meet you before you go, right?’’

    ‘’I will have to go to Penang port at 4 am. The ship will leave at 5 in the morning.’’

     ‘’I’ll be there, at the port.’’

     ‘’You don’t have to.’’

     ‘’I want to,’’ I replied firmly.

   I returned to my hotel room. I wondered if I had ever had a friend with whom I had talked so openly about everything. I decided to start reading ‘War and Peace’ right after returning to Dhaka. I would remember and cherish my friend through that book. I fell asleep with a heavy heart.

  I woke up to discover that it was already 4:25 am. Furious with myself, I rushed out of the hotel, hailed a taxi, and it took me 25 minutes to reach the port. I rushed to the ship heading to Langkawi; there were already lots of people on the deck. Instead of his name, I called out, ‘’Tolstoy! Tolstoy!’’

And there he appeared, with amazement in his eyes, my new friend, my Tolstoy, who had, within a few hours, taught me that there were so many things to cherish in life.

 I said goodbye to him with tears in my eyes.

 I never saw him again, and we rarely sent each other emails. But it was Josh who taught me to value myself and my life.

Photos: Internet