19-year-old college student befriends 89-year-old widower at her bookie job, become the best of friends over 9 years: 'It was obvious he was really lonely'

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Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor
Sep 22, 2024 4:00 PM EDT

Multigenerational friendships benefit everyone involved. Many older people cannot socialize as much as they'd like, which leaves them stuck in their houses with nothing to do but watch TV all day. Too many young people do not have any friends more than five years older than them, let alone have had any real interaction with older generations in a non-work, school, or family capacity. You would think that having older parents, grandparents, bosses, and teachers would teach you how to have strong relationships with older people, but friendship is the great equalizer.

One college student discovered how meaningful a friendship with an older person can be. When she was 19, she moved to a small town in Scotland to study fashion and got a job at the local bookie. At work, she met an 89-year-old man named Tommy, and their journey together over the past nine years is nothing short of remarkable.

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  • 01
    Brooda John @Nigeriangod Follow When it comes to friendship age shouldn't be a barrier, Young lady shares her bizarre friendship with an elderly man.
    via @Nigeriangod_
  • 02
    aoifebellamalones The slightly bizzare story of how I became friends with a 89 (now 98) year old man
    via @Nigeriangod_
  • 03
    Ladbrokes WELCOME 000 @aoifebellamalone when I was 19 I moved to a small town in Scotland to study fashion. A girls gotta eat and the job opps we're limited, so I started working in a bookies
    via @Nigeriangod_
  • 04
    A man called Tommy would come in multiple times a day. It was obvious he was really lonely. His wife had died the year before and he was coming into the bookies for some company. @aoifebellamalone.
    via @Nigeriangod_
  • 05
    After a few days of working there and seeing him come in so many times during my shift II asked him if I could join him at the bingo that night. He was delighted and got all dressed up for the occasion. d@aolfebellamalone Some of my uni friends came with me (because they were like why are you meeting some random man at night??). Tommy walking into the bingo with 4 young ones on his arm was the talk of the town that week.
    via @Nigeriangod_
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    aoifaballamalone That night at the bingo was the start of a beautiful friendship! I'd see Tommy when I was at work every day and I'd go to his house a few times a week, he'd cook me dinner at his house or I'd take him out for dinner or the cinema - the pictures" as he calls it.
    via @Nigeriangod_
  • 07
    PA ADA DARB Pe HOOS ୨୧୧ I dragged him to the charity shops a lot too @aoifebellamalone
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  • 08
    BEYOND THE YOU'E ONLY AS OLD YOU FE MODELLED BY TOMMY HOUSTO CATWALK J@aoifebellamalone He even modeled for me for one of my uni projects. Killed it tbh
    via @Nigeriangod_
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    d@aoifebellamalone He started to teach me how to drive and I ended up passing my test in his car. I'd had instructors back home in Belfast but if Tommy hadn't have taken me out to practice nearly every day for months I'd never have passed
    via @Nigeriangod_
  • 10
    After our first year of uni my besties and I moved to Edinburgh and started to commute to uni. Tommy would meet us at the station everyday and drive us to uni. He became good friends with all of my friends & we'd take him out for dinner, watch the six nations at his house and even had a suprise birthday party for him one year 1-2- d@aolfebellamalone
    via @Nigeriangod_
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    When I moved to Edinburgh Tommy would come visit every few weeks. He met all of my work friends in the pub I worked in and then would come to the shop I worked in. We'd go for dinner & sometimes go see a show which he always loved @aoifebellamalone
    via @Nigeriangod_
  • 12
    Over the years he met pretty much all of my friends @aoifebellamalore
    via @Nigeriangod_
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    & my family too. He met my brothers & cousins in 2018. 10/10 d@aoifebellamalone
    via @Nigeriangod_
  • 14
    He was my mums +1 at my graduation in 2019 doifebellamalone
    via @Nigeriangod_
  • 15
    Interchange Not long after I graduated I found out I'd gotten an job in NYC. We spent our last night sitting on a bench in St Andrews Sq in Edinburgh sharing earphones listening to Frank Sinatra lol. I wasn't sure how long I'd be in America so I was scared I wouldn't see him for years and I'd say he felt the same @aoifebellamalone
    via @Nigeriangod_
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    When I was in NYC Covid hit and I started calling him every day to make sure he was doing ok. Being even more isolated was hard for him and he missed being out & about. TUN Jaoifebellamalone
    via @Nigeriangod_
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    I posted about him on Instagram to ask people if they'd send him a card for his 95th birthday and it went pretty viral. He recieved thousands of cards, presents & cakes from people all over the words. School children wrote him letters as a project set by their teachers @aoifebellamalone
    via @Nigeriangod_
  • 18
    dailymail.co.uk Daily Mail MORE STORIES This Morning viewers moved to tears by relationship between woman, 24, and her 'best friend', 94, who attended her graduation and taught her to drive after meeting in a betting shop By Harriet Johnston For Mailonline 11:44 18 Nov 2020, updated 11:46 18 Nov 2020 f A MA We ended up being asked to go on this morning to tell our Iwee story! Tommy was buzzing because that's one of his fave shows F
    via @Nigeriangod_
  • 19
    When I moved back from the states he got to meet my boyfriend Anton for the first time after hearing about him for a year PE d@aoifebellamalone
    via @Nigeriangod_
  • 20
    This month 9 years ago I met Tommy in the bookies!! 9 whole years of friendship. He was in WW2 and has some amazing stories, he's a big feminist really doesn't understand the world we live in now and how it's gotten so dark. He helped me through breakups, I jobs and uni stresses. Over the years he's taught me a lot. aoifebellamalone
    via @Nigeriangod_
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    & I taught him how to do the peace sign Jaqifebellamalores
    via @Nigeriangod_
  • 22
    He's 98 now (99 next month) and I get to see him bellamalone every 6 weeks or so. He's in a care home now but he's still as sharp as the day I first met him. The end x
    via @Nigeriangod_
  • 23
    Fashion x Fragrance O @__raybekah Follow This almost brought me to tears, her friendship saved him. Old people without their partners tend to wither away and d!e suddenly, she helped him as much as he helped her
    via @__raybekah
  • 24
    Damsons @daram_ola This is really beautiful Follow One advantage of being friends with someone older is that they can share helpful advice from their life experiences. They've been through more, so they can guide you when you face challenges. They also tend to handle problems in a calm way, which can help you stay steady.
    via @daram_ola

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