A chance to say thanks & goodbye

When I studied English at Worcester University my lecturer was a Mike B. He had a great style of teaching and everyone was very amused by his wry comments and sense of humour, so much so that some of his observations became a part of my character too. I told my wife this when we went on our honeymoon to Portugal some ten years later. The last weekend of the holiday we drove in our hire car down to Lisbon, and found a hotel on spec (no planning at all, it just looked nice). The next morning we went down for breakfast at 8am. I said jokingly to my wife that the man at the table across from us looked just like Mike B, "but he would look older now...". Curiosity got the better of me and eventually I asked him. "Did you use to lecture at Worcester Uni?" "I did" came the reply. "Are you Mike B?" I asked incredulous. "I am!" said the equally incredulous Mike B. He and his wife were on holiday too. We had dinner that night and swopped anecdotes (he was still as amusing as ever). He had retired years ago and this holiday was as spur of the moment as our choosing the hotel had been. I finally got the chance to thank him for having such an impact on my life and leaving me with an abiding love and knowledge of Shakepeare. A wonderful coincidence. Oh, and he dyed his hair!