Wordsley, Stourbridge, England: 6 degrees, cold, sunny and slightly overcast.
I woke up Saturday morning after a deep sleep. I’m sleeping better here in England than I did in Brazil.
Unfortunately, I missed my usual wake-up time, which is, at the latest, 6:00 a.m. I’m not sure if it’s due to the time difference or simply the accumulated tiredness from the trip to England, but as a result, I’m sleeping better and more deeply.
I woke up around 8:00 a.m. to a cold but surprisingly sunny and clear day, with not a single cloud in the sky. I had a quick wash and then stepped out into the street. Turning right from my mother’s street and then left, I found myself on Wordsley High Street, just 100 meters from my mother’s house, with a corner shop conveniently located at the end.
I entered the shop out of curiosity, and a young Indian woman behind the counter attended to me. The shop was filled with a wide variety of items, ranging from food and snacks to newspapers, magazines, drinks, and IT supplies. I thought it would be too good to be true if they had an adapter for sale here.
I asked the young woman, and she led me to the back of the shop, where one wall was dedicated to IT and cell phone accessories. There, facing me, were two USB charging adapters. It felt unreal; each item was perfect and only £5. On my first full day in England, I was able to resolve one of my immediate concerns: finding a cell phone charger. This all happened before breakfast, almost right at my mother’s doorstep.
The second problem to resolve was to find an energy cable that would plug into my laptop’s transformer. The plugs in Brazil differ from those in England; in the past, they had two round pins, but now they have three, whereas in England, three rectangular pins have remained unchanged for a very long time.
I left the corner shop and continued walking up Wordsley High Street. I think I walked only another 100 metres when I noticed, facing the street, a simple and slightly hidden computer shop with a few second-hand computers in the shop window.
The shop’s appearance was quite discreet and a little tatty, but it was open for business. I entered; the interior was extremely simple and a little run-down. At the back, a counter was cluttered with numerous half-open computers and parts scattered across it and the tables in the small room behind it.
There was nobody there to receive me, so I called out, “Hello,” hoping someone would hear me. Suddenly, a young man appeared from the back room of the shop. I explained to him what I needed; within five seconds, he was showing me exactly the right cable I required.
I asked him how much it was, and he replied that it was £2.00. I couldn’t believe it, I was overjoyed, so I asked him his name, and he said it was Richard. I jokingly asked if he was taking the mick, and he said no. I told him that, coincidentally, my name was also Richard.
I was still a bit concerned about whether the cable would be completely fine, given that the transformer was from Brazil, and whether it might affect or damage the computer. Richard explained to me that there should be no problem because everything in the IT world is standardised nowadays.
Now came the even crazier part: I didn’t have any cash on me to pay him £2, as I still needed to withdraw money from one of the local cash dispensers. He kindly told me to take the cable without paying, saying that if it worked, great, and that when I could, I should pay him or bring it back if there was a problem.
This kind person had never met me before, and they were offering me the chance to take it and pay later. I know it’s only £2, but even so, it’s unbelievable. I tried to insist on withdrawing money first to pay, but he said no and insisted that I take it first. I thanked him and tried to express my gratitude for his kindness and consideration.
This was my first morning in England after arriving the night before, and my two most pressing concerns were resolved before breakfast, less than 100 metres from where my mother lives, ensuring I could begin work on Monday.
After leaving the computer shop, I walked further up the High Street and turned into a side street. About 300 metres ahead, a shopping precinct features a doctor’s clinic and a public library on the left side and an L-shaped row of shops on the right, all separated by a small green square. This is considered the heart of Wordsley, the village where my mother lives.
In the past, there were two pubs in the precinct, but both have since closed; one of them is now a supermarket. I remember this precinct from my childhood; my mother, brother, and I moved to a house and lived nearby after my parents divorced.
I walked around the precinct and then along the street below, which eventually led to the canal—another reference from my past. I used to fish along the canals when I was very young. Until I went to London, I would walk along it to visit my grandparents there and back at least once, sometimes twice a week.
Many old memories are starting to flood back. I walked around the park in front of the canal and then walked along the canal for a bit until I reached some glassworks. Old, heavy industrial buildings that have withstood the passage of time and the elements since the Industrial Revolution.
Now, these works have been transformed into a glass museum. I visited the museum as a child on a school trip; the entire region where I am from was once the world’s capital of glass and crystal glass, but it has since disappeared.
The heritage of the glass industry in this region is very rich and vibrant. After leaving the canal, I returned to the main Worsley High Street, walking down toward the corner shop where I had bought the charger and resolving my first problem of the day. The corner shop is at the edge of the street that eventually leads to my mother’s street, and within five minutes, I was home. I tested the charger, and it was perfect for the job, as was the cable.
Outstanding! Two problems that I thought would be difficult to resolve were solved easily and quickly, and yet the day is still just beginning!
Thank you.
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Richard
