08、09年前後，廣州正是外貿熱鬧嘅時候。
嗰陣我哋有小北、江灣、富力、世貿中心，仲有深圳幾間公司，每日來來往往好多人。Fank就係從烏干達嚟嘅其中一個。
佢英文好好，原本想做外貿，見到我哋業務員多，就過嚟搵我哋傾。
圖片由 AI輔助創作（Z-Image-Turbo）
我哋業務員小張帶佢入嚟。Fank坐低，用流利英文講：「我係老師，我想做外貿，可以學嘢。」
小張望住我，我望住Fank。佢身上有一種老實、誠懇嘅勁，我一眼睇出嚟——佢唔係做生意嘅料。
但我冇即刻講。我同佢傾咗一陣，問佢：「你做過乜嘢？」
「我喺烏干達做老師，教英文。」
老師。呢個身份令我諗起一樣嘢。
我話：「外貿呢行，你未必啱。但係我仔讀緊初中，英文差咗啲。你願唔願意教佢？我一堂俾你五百蚊。」
Fank眼睛一亮：「真得？我願意！」
就咁，佢留咗喺公司做嘢，晚上又嚟我屋企教我仔英文。
圖片由 AI輔助創作（Z-Image-Turbo）
佢教得好認真。每晚都用英文同我仔講話，我仔嗰陣讀緊初中，英文底子薄，Fank就由頭教起。
有一次我返到屋企，聽到我仔同Fank講：「Fank，點解呢個字咁難讀？」
Fank笑住話：「難先至要學。你老豆都係咁學返嚟嘅。」
我喺門口聽住，心諗：呢個人，值得交。
星期六日，Fank仲帶我仔出街。行到邊講到邊，公園、書局、超市，一路都係英文。
圖片由 AI輔助創作（Z-Image-Turbo）
我仔問佢：「Fank，你屋企有冇仔女？」
「有，但係佢哋喺烏干達，我好想佢哋。」
「點解你唔返去？」
「我喺廣州有嘢做，有機會。遲啲接佢哋過嚟。」
我仔後來能夠考入大學，我一直覺得，裡面有Fank嘅一份功勞。唔淨係英文，仲有佢教識我仔嘅嗰種認真同堅持。
日子耐咗，我哋唔再係老闆同員工、雇主同家教，而係好朋友、好兄弟。
佢帶埋屋企人過嚟。太太、細路，後來連父母都接埋。
圖片由 AI輔助創作（Z-Image-Turbo）
有一日，Fank同我講：「老闆，我想轉行。」
「做乜？」
「我唔想做外貿，我想去大學教書。」
我諗都冇諗：「去。你係老師，應該喺學校。」
後來佢真係入咗廣州一間大學做老師。由講師做起，一路升到教授。而家佢喺廣州安居樂業，老婆、仔女喺身邊，妹妹、父母都接咗過嚟。
佢成日叫我過烏干達做生意，話嗰邊有機會。我總係笑：「太遠啦，唔去啦。錢夠用就得，冇必要跑咁遠。」
對我嚟講，當年幫嗰啲外國朋友，唔係一定要做成乜嘢生意。佢哋有困難搵我，我就幫手安排啲工做。人同人之间，能帮一把就帮一把。
Fank係我喺廣州交落嘅一個好朋友。呢段緣分，比多賺一筆生意更珍貴。
錢夠用就好，冇必要跑咁遠。人情，先係最緊要嘅嘢。
希望佢同家人喺廣州一直平安順遂。
Around 2008 and 2009, Guangzhou was right in the middle of the trade boom.
Back then we had Xiaobei, Jiangwan, R&F, the World Trade Centre, plus a few companies in Shenzhen. People came and went every day. Fank was one of them, and he came from Uganda.
His English was very good. He originally wanted to do trade. He saw that we had a lot of sales staff, so he came over to talk to us.
Our salesman Xiao Zhang brought him in. Fank sat down and said in fluent English: "I am a teacher. I want to do trade. I can learn."
Xiao Zhang looked at me, and I looked at Fank. There was something honest and sincere about the man. I could see it at a glance — he was not cut out for business.
But I did not say so right away. I talked with him for a while and asked: "What have you done before?"
"I was a teacher in Uganda. I taught English."
A teacher. That word set something off in my head.
I said: "Trade may not suit you. But my son is in junior high and his English is a bit weak. Would you be willing to teach him? I'll pay you five hundred yuan a lesson."
Fank's eyes lit up: "Really? I'd love to!"
And that was that. He stayed on at the company, and in the evenings he came to my home to teach my son English.
He taught very seriously. Every evening he spoke English with my son. My son was in junior high then and his foundation was thin, so Fank started from the beginning.
One time I got home and heard my son ask him: "Fank, why is this word so hard to pronounce?"
Fank laughed and said: "Hard is exactly why you learn it. Your dad learned it the same way."
I stood at the door listening and thought: this man is worth having as a friend.
On Saturdays and Sundays Fank took my son out. He talked wherever they walked — parks, bookshops, supermarkets, all in English the whole way.
My son asked him: "Fank, do you have children?"
"Yes, but they are in Uganda. I miss them a lot."
"Why don't you go back?"
"I have work here in Guangzhou, and opportunities. I'll bring them over later."
My son got into university later on, and I have always believed Fank deserves part of the credit. Not just for the English, but for the seriousness and the persistence he taught my son.
As the years went by we were no longer boss and employee, employer and tutor. We were good friends, brothers.
He brought his family over too. His wife, his kids, and later even his parents.
One day Fank said to me: "Boss, I want to change careers."
"To do what?"
"I don't want to do trade. I want to teach at a university."
I didn't even have to think about it: "Go. You're a teacher. You belong in a school."
And he really did join a university in Guangzhou as a teacher. He started as a lecturer and worked his way up to professor. Today he is settled and doing well in Guangzhou, his wife and children beside him, his sister and his parents all brought over.
He keeps telling me to go to Uganda and do business there, saying there are opportunities. I always laugh: "Too far. I'm not going. Enough money is enough money — no need to run that far."
To me, helping those foreign friends back then was never about closing some deal. When they had trouble they came to me, and I helped arrange some work. Between people, if you can lend a hand, lend it.
Fank is a good friend I made in Guangzhou. That bond is worth more than one extra deal.
Enough money to live on is enough. No need to run that far. Favours between people are what matter most.
I hope he and his family stay safe and well in Guangzhou.
