Philippe's House

Solar Cell that can patch people back

Earlier this year, Philippe Bosio was introduced to me through my customers, Khun Mio and Stephan, whose house I had been visiting regularly to help with electrical issues. Khun Mio and Stephan have a beautiful home in Doi Mek, up in the mountains of the Mae Salong area, north of Chiang Rai. Philippe had bought land nearby and built his own house.

A Short Story of Coincidence - Solar Cell that can patch people back

One day, I received a call from Khun Mio letting me know that Philippe was planning to install solar panels. On their recommendation, Philippe and I connected via WhatsApp in mid-February and arranged a house inspection in late February. The installation took place in early March. At this point, I knew Philippe simply as a solar customer.

Around the same time, before the solar installation, George — my longtime friend from France — called me. George called regularly, but he had never actually made plans to visit or come up to Chiang Rai. This time, though, I was determined to get him to come, and by the end of the call, he had agreed. George made it to Chiang Rai, and I picked him up at the airport the day before I was due to go up and install solar for Philippe.

On the drive from the airport to my home, we got to talking — and George, as I well know, is never short of words. He swears sometimes, and that evening he was cursing about a friend who had woken up late and missed their meeting in Bangkok. In his frustration, he declared he would never see that person again in his lifetime.

It was quite a strong thing to say, and I could feel how annoyed he was. I gently steered the conversation away from his anger and invited him to come along for the solar installation the next day. That’s when he mentioned, “You know, I actually have a friend in Doi Mae Salong — he’s the one who missed the appointment in Bangkok.” I said, “You mean the same friend you were just swearing at and vowing never to see again?” He laughed it off and we moved on to other things.

But then I circled back to the conversation about his friend.

“Is your friend French?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said.

“What is his name?” I asked.

“Philippe Bosio,” George replied.

“What a coincidence! He is my customer — and tomorrow, you’ll be going to his house.”

George was stunned. He could barely contain his excitement at the thought of surprising his friend. He laughed to himself and said, “I have to meet the very man I just swore I’d never see again in this lifetime.”

I whispered, “Sometimes the solar panels I sell can bring people who have fallen out back together again.” That is perhaps a value of solar energy I had never thought of before.