Dear man on the suitcase at the Al Reem bus stop, thank you for the dates

A man had been sitting on his suitcase for an hour at the bus stop on Al Reem Island, in the heat of a Monday afternoon. I offered him half my water. He opened the case, took out a bag of dates and gave me some. We talked about cricket, flights and bad weather. His bus came. Mine came two minutes later. We waved from the windows. I think about that bag of dates every time I see a suitcase. I have started carrying dates. Nobody has asked.