One day during last July I was getting a connecting train at Gravesend Railway Station. I was approaching the bridge from platform 0 to 2. It was about 4 o’clock.
There was a boy about ten steps in front of me. I’m guessing he was about 11 or 12 years old and he was carrying two large school bags. Then a young man who was carrying a large riding bike who appeared to be in a rush. As he rushed past the boy the back wheel of the bike hit him and it pushed him onto the stair barrister rail. The man didn’t notice this as he rushed off.
The boy started to shout out ‘hello, hello, hello, did you see what happened?’ Everyone ignored him and carried on past him. Again he shouted ‘hello, hello, hello’. But again he was ignored.
Then I reached him and ask he needed any help. He said thank you and I carried his bags. The he said (from memo) that ‘I didn’t take my pill this morning and I got sent out of class. I’m a ‘R’. Now anyone who knows me will remember that hearing the ‘R’ word will make me see red. I said to him ‘you are not a ‘R’ and never call yourself a R’. He replied ‘but it makes me bad in class’. I then said ‘you are not bad, it’s just that you need medication and what can you do to make you remember the to take the tablets?’ Then we quickly discussed some strategies. Although I think whoever cares for him should take responsibility of these quite powerful tablets, but that’s a discussion for another day.
(the actual steps at Gravesend)
We then talked about what his favourite Avenger is. Then five minutes later we shook hands like grown ups and said goodbye.
I will always remember this moment for the rest of my life and I never asked him his name. Wherever you are remember you are not a ‘R’.
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