Sophie: I see you met Bernard, our new computer programmer ...
George: Yes ... I gave him a ride home in my car yesterday. He invited me in for a coffee ... remarkable man.
Sophie: I hope he settles in quickly, it's going to be a busy few weeks with the project he's on.
George: He's got a young family, you know.
Sophie: You met them?
George: Yes, I met his wife and three children ... two are theirs actually. What I mean is that they have a boy and a girl aged ten and eight. And they have also adopted a young girl aged six.
Sophie: That's unusual ... adopting when they already have children.
George: That's what I thought. The young girl is very disabled. She is in a wheelchair and has difficulty speaking and hearing properly. They are devoted to her. She needs constant attention and Bernard's wife has given up work to look after her. The children help too ...
Sophie: That's amazing.
George: That's what I thought ... what a remarkable couple. I felt so humbled by being there. I hardly know them but they've gone up in my estimation ...
Sophie: Did you tell Bernard how you felt?
George: Of course not ... you don't talk like that to a man. I just smiled benignly and said 'hello' to the young girl ... and then I left.
Sophie: Perhaps you should mention it to him sometimes ...
George: Not a chance ... men talk about football, or cars or such things ... I just felt humbled as I said ... and such a fraud.
Sophie: What do you mean?
George: Well ... here I am ... everyone here knows I am a practising Christian ... I'm on the church committee and all that ... but I could not do something like that. Adopting a disabled child and devoting my life to her. And my wife giving up work to look after her.
Sophie: That does not make you bad ... each one of us does whatever we can in life. I'm not religious, but I don't consider you bad because you're different from Bernard ...
George: Well ... I don't know ... ...
