A Noel that came along – Part I – Introduction

Nimeshe’s Introduction of Noel

Noel Jason Kelly, a random stranger I met via a Gay dating app, who offered a massage, in exchange for a frienship. We spoke quite a bit when we first met. This was in 2017. We didn’t hit it off in “dating”, but as a lover or a friend, he was a keeper, and I knew that. I met him again, in 2017, when he cried for some help to ease some of his loneliness.

My life situation was quite complex end of 2017. Although my headspace was good, and for the first time I felt like a teenager ( at the age of 37), I was struggling to meet some of my basic needs, like shelter, finances, and human relationships. When the ugliness peaked, my mother summoned me home, to Sri Lanka! So I left some of my new friends in Australia, to my original home, Sri Lanka.

I spent over 4 months in Sri Lanka. I was to now return to Australia, find work, and restart “Life” yet again. I knew I had no home to return to, and my car was parked in one of my friends houses. I went through the list of people I knew, in my head. Someone I can ask for a room, with “no strings attached”. I was looking to pay my way (although I was to be on CentreLink).

I called Noel from Sri Lanka.

Hey Noel, Would you be able to rent me your spare room for a small fee, until I find work and can move out on my own again?

Noel rented me a small room in his two bedroom unit, for fifty dollars a week!!! He knew I had no money. He knew I had no income. In Ascot Vale, Melbourne, this kind of price was unheard of.

So I returned from Sri Lanka, to Australia in March, 2018, to Noel’s house.

Was it easy for either of us to share a space. No it wasn’t. But, we learnt to communicate, we learnt to help, we learnt to offer friendship. 3 months later, I found suitable work, and 5 months later, I moved into a rented flat on my own.

The friendship continues, as I have seen an amazingly beautiful heart in Noel Jason Kelly.

I had requested him to write stories, and I’d publish them on my blog. As a response, today, 24th October 2020, he gave me 3 pages of writings. It was his story.

Noel gives us a glimpse into his life, using his own words.

Before I hand you over to Noel’s life, may I take a moment to recognize his most thanked qualities. (Noel is on government pension. He is not rich in terms of regular income. But, he had the right wealth, Love, Kindness, and Friendship, He gifted them since the day we met)

• On the day of our second meeting, earlier during the day,. he had been gifted a Mc Donalds Burger by one of his relatives. Since he knew I was coming to see him, he had only eaten half of it, and kept the other half in the fridge for me to eat.

• Sitting in a corner for weeks, and knitting me a multi-coloured scarf, which is far from perfect, but reminds me of Dolly Parton’s song “Coat of Many Colours” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQjMCKq87N0

• Letting me be naughty, free, and weird in his house, and allowing me to break some of the “conditions of stay” he had originally presented.

• Always taking any advise I would give, take action. I almost felt, words uttered to him was never wasted. As he always recieved my love, whether it was packaged in kindness, anger, frustration, or love.

• I have never heard Noel say he doesn’t have. Even when I know he alreay spent his pention, and he had to wait for a week or so, and we couldn’t afford smokes, or anything fansy, I have never ever heard Noel say “I don’t have enough”. I have never seen the man suffer from his finances.

Please continue to Part II – Noel’s Story in Noel’s Words.

https://nimeshe.blog/2020/10/24/a-noel-that-came-along-part-ii-noels-story-in-noels-words/