William had never felt alive before he met Austin, his new neighbor, who was young, energetic, and handsome. His every gesture revealed absolute confidence and great zest; his words presented high intelligence and unusual broad-mindedness. William, who turned 30 a few days ago, admired the youth but was too shy to come to him and start a conversation. William’s shyness, along with passivity, literally had destroyed his childhood dreams.
The man rented a studio flat in Brooklyn, worked at the office, hanged out with his colleagues, and sometimes attended dance classes. There was nothing special about him. William was the most ordinary person among the most ordinary ones. He did not have a girlfriend or friends except his colleagues, and his relatives lived far in the West. It was likely that nothing unusual would have happened to him unless he had met Austin. For sure, it is fantastic how one encounter can change somebody’s life.
“Good morning! Do you have any plans for the weekend?” Austin’s voice appeared from nowhere.
“Good morning. Excuse me, have you asked something?”
Of course, William did not have any plans, but he was embarrassed by the new neighbor’s sudden question. William thought Austin would invite him to his place or offer to hang out around the neighborhood. However, the suggestion was out of his expectations.
“What about setting off on a weekend hike on the Appalachian Trail? Don’t care about the gear. I have enough.”
“The Appalachian trail? You know, I have never hiked before…” William murmured.
“Oh, you must try it. See you on Saturday at 4 a.m. Don’t be late!” Austin shut the door.
William could make up something like he always did. He could say he felt terrible or some urgent work had come up. However, William was waiting for Austin at 3.55 a.m. on Saturday with the strange feeling of excitement and fear at the same time. He knew that it was the opportunity he could not miss – the chance to change his life. It was cold, misty, and dark outside, the middle of March, and the men traveled to the Appalachian Trail, where neither of them had ever been before.
The beauty of nature, its peacefulness, and the individual, who accompanied William, amazed him. He enjoyed the moment and forgot about his shyness and passivity. No doubt, William had never felt alive before, and it was the first time he realized that his life was a precious gift to enjoy but not a burden to carry. Moreover, Austin told him exciting stories about hiking in the Himalayas, cycling across Europe, and being a gardener in Chili. William recalled his childhood dreams of traveling the world, which he had not achieved at all.
“My disease taught me to live in the present moment, make the most of each opportunity, stop caring about others’ opinions, and take risks. Sometimes I think people need to get terminally ill to realize what matters in life”, Austin said suddenly during the hike.
William did not understand what the new acquaintance meant by ‘disease’ or ‘terminally ill’ but feared to ask about it. Austin was the most extraordinary man among the most extraordinary ones. He opened new horizons to William, he broadened his perspective, and he made him adventurous. William spent much time with Austin in the spring and summer of 2015. They traveled within the East Coast, tried different activities ranging from gardening to skydiving, and enjoyed themselves.
It was the end of the summer, and William had not seen Austin for the last five days. Austin’s flat was empty; he answered neither calls nor messages. Despite having spent half a year in close relationship with the neighbor, William knew little about his work or relatives. They had never discussed their matters or the past.
“Hello, are you Austin’s neighbor, William?” an attractive woman of 25 at the door asked.
“Yes, I am. Do you know where Austin is? I have not seen him since Monday.”
“He died on Wednesday. I am his sister, Jane, and he asked me to give you this letter. He did not want you to see him dying and preferred to say his last words in the letter”, the woman said with sad calmness.
He had some disease; he was terminally ill; he did not even mention it except during their first hike. William said nothing, just took the letter, and shut the door. He felt abandoned, as the one thing that mattered at that moment was the scruffy letter from the dead friend. It consisted of three sentences:
“Do you have any plan for this fall? What about setting off on a journey to Europe. Don’t care about the airline ticket, you can find it in the book I left on the sill in your bedroom.”
William was waiting at John F. Kennedy International Airport for the plane to the Netherlands in September of 2015. He had quitted his job, bought some gear, and spent much time planning his travel. The man had the same feeling of excitement and fear, which he had experienced half a year before while waiting for Austin near his door.
“Good morning. Do you have some business in the Netherlands?” asked a neighbor during the flight.
“No, I am going to travel and make my childhood dreams come true.”
“When are you going to return home?”
“I don’t know, maybe in several months, or a year, or several years. I don’t know…”
William returned to the United States in March of 2020. The man had visited more than 50 countries, met thousands of individuals, and lived to the fullest. His childhood dreams had finally come true. William had returned a completely different individual, extremely broad-minded, full of energy, confident, and eager to live. He learned to paint while living with a blind painter Rosa in Lithuania. The woman taught him that all restrictions are only the products of his imagination. Further, Rishabh, a father of 8 children who lived in a run-down neighborhood in India and enjoyed cleaning it each Sunday, proved that people were able to create their environment. The elderly football coach, who devoted all his time to training poor Brazilian boys, demonstrated the great importance of love and commitment.
William also learned many other lessons while traveling the world. Anyway, among the most important were to appreciate each minute, make the most of different opportunities, and take risks. He regretted not living to the fullest in his youth, but it was too late to change the past. Instead, the man concentrated on the present, married an adventurous woman, and became a hiking guide on the Appalachian Trail. William always wondered who he would have been unless he had met Austin and said yes to his unusual offer.