Sometimes, a chance encounter can change your perspective. It makes you pause, take a closer look, and reflect. I’m a sensitive person, deeply moved by others’ pain, and this story hasn’t let go of me. For days, I’ve been unable to sleep peacefully, thinking about a young man I met on a street near King’s Cross Station in London.
It was an ordinary day, running errands for a friend amidst the usual city hustle and bustle. People rushed by, cars honked, and a chilling wind swept across faces. Suddenly, my eyes caught a small figure. At first glance, it seemed like a child. But looking closer, I realized it was a grown man, just with a very slight build and a peculiar gait.
He was carrying a puppy – small, fluffy, with a wet nose and kind eyes. Tucked under his arm was a bundle of old newspapers that seemed ready to slip away. His movements were uncertain, his fingers stiff, and his face slightly contorted. I understood he had some challenges, perhaps psychological or neurological. Nevertheless, there was something so bright and pure about him that I couldn’t just walk by.
While I admired the puppy, the young man dropped his newspapers. I quickly rushed to help. Packing them into a bag from my purse, I gently asked, “Where are you taking them?”
He answered softly, “To the recycling center. To earn food for the puppy.”
Those words hit harder than any slap.
As we gathered the newspapers, he shared with me that he used to live with his mum. After she passed away, his sister sold their flat, took the money, and moved abroad. She left him without documents, support, or money. Without a chance.
He recounted this without bitterness, just as a fact, as if it had long been clear to him, as if he had already come to terms with it. Now he resides in a hostel for people with disabilities, survives on barely anything, and collects scrap paper and bottles to buy food for his puppy. His name is Alex. The dog… had no name.
Some time passed. And then one cold evening, I saw Alex again. He was strolling down the street with a now-grown, sturdy puppy on a makeshift lead. The puppy recognized me and rushed over, wagging its tail and yapping cheerfully. I took some food out of my bag – the dog devoured it with such hunger that it twisted my heart.
“He eats everything I give,” Alex said proudly. “But he loves it most when I cook for him. Only, meat’s a rarity.”
We started talking. He told me how attached he had grown to the dog. That the dog was his only friend, purpose, comfort, and protection from loneliness. The two shared a blanket at night, and Alex would share his last morsel.
With a particular innocence and a childlike hope in his voice, Alex said, “We met a dog on the street recently. She looked just like him. I thought she might be his mum. I wonder if they’d recognize each other…”
I felt my throat tighten. I barely held back tears right there, on the bustling street.
Then, unexpectedly, he asked, “Would you like to name him? I haven’t thought of one. I always just call him ‘pup.'”
I nodded. “Let’s call him ‘Sunny.’ Because you’re like a ray of sunshine for him.”
He hugged the dog, looked at me with wide-open eyes, and whispered, “Thank you… That’s a wonderful name. He’s my Sunny now.”
I walked home with a lump in my throat. “God, how unfair this world is,” echoed in my head. Some people have dozens of houses, diamonds, cars. Others live in shabby rooms, sharing their last crumbs with a puppy. And yet, they still radiate happiness.
I want to help Alex, but I’m not rich. I can’t change his life completely. But every time I see him now, I bring something: food, a warm coat, or just words of encouragement. And you know what’s most remarkable? He always smiles. He’s grateful for every little thing, as if it’s a gift from above.
People like Alex remind us that happiness isn’t in money, status, or a perfect home. It’s in a warm hand. A loyal gaze. A kind word. Just being there for someone.
Sometimes I want to shout, “People! Wake up! Look at how much pain is around!” But I realize cries go unheard.
So I’ll just do what I can. Because if even one Sunny and one Alex are not hungry and not alone, then my life has meaning.
