I will next time.

My main man, Charlie, fixing my hiking backpack for me :)

I had spent about two months randomly going places and seeing new things. One day I was driving, and I noticed a huge building with tonnes of junk outside. Yay! Looked like hidden gems everywhere. I whipped a quick u-turn on Eugene and pulled up.

An older man started walking towards me. Oh wonderful! Another creepy man who I won't be able to talk to because I don't speak Chinese. 

Quite the opposite! This was the day I met Charlie. 

Charlie is an older Taiwanese gentleman. His leathery skin flashes years of relentless torment from a fierce sun. Light eyes that could tell a thousand tales glazed with a glimmer of hope. A smile bearing a childish nature and restlessness.

My gateway to lucidity and a profound history the young seem to know nothing about.

The stories from Charlie are endless. Whether he is showing me his latest inventions or talking about his time in the military, he never fails to grab my attention.

I go and hang out with Charlie every couple weeks. The last time I went to see him was right before I left for the Philippines, and I needed the braces shortened on my hiking backpack.

Of course he helped me! Charlie is Taiwanese after all.

He was using a grinder.

“Charlie! Where are your safety glasses?”

He didn’t know where they were. That’s ok, though, because only hard metals hurt your eyes. Rocks and whatever my backpack was made out of would only cause minimal damage if he was struck in the eye with a flying piece.

Naturally I lectured him on the importance of eye safety. The conversation moved to my broken finger. I argued I could live a normal life without my pinky, but eyes, that was a different story. He just laughed. I don’t think I was getting my point across.

When I finished, Charlie simply responded to my persistent nattering with, “I will next time.”

Oh Charlie…