The other day, I took a few household items to a charity’s thrift store to be recyled. One of my fellow patrons in the store asked me if I could be of help to one of the other shoppers there. She and the store cashier were having problems understand each other. Unfortunately, neither of us could step up and be helpful. But this chance encounter at a recycling store got these two transplanted Chinese talking. And I felt privileged at what this robust senior had shared with me.
The tall fellow attired in simple and airy summer outfits, happened to be a retired Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM doctor. This explained why he was buying those rare amber-colored glass bottles with tight lids that are hinged on heavy metal levers. They are for his home-brew herbal teas, of course! The TCM doctor with a Ph. D. degree in biochemistry comes from a family of many health care practitioners. Now in his retirement, he still sees a few patients with terminal illness like cancer. At first, I thought he was bragging when he proudly told me of his 70% success rate on cancer patients. Then I realized there were no comelling reasons why he would want to impress a stranger whom he just met at a thrift store.
Regrettably, the impromptu chat between the two strangers was short. But I will definitely look out for this learned retiree the next time when I visit that same thrift store. - Ayee
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