οι άνθρωποι, όταν φεύγουν από κοντά μου προκόβουν

[Theseus]

I just want an idiomatic translation into English of this clause. The context is one in which a man & a woman bump into each other after a long time in Athens & go for a coffee in Syntagma Square. She tells him that she has married a diplomat & now has a son. He asks κι ο ζωγράφος σου, τη ρώτησα. Έγινε διάσημος, είπε, οι άνθρωποι, όταν φεύγουν από κοντά μου προκόβουν. Εκτός από μένα, της είπα.
How do I best render it? A literal translation seems forced in English: 'when people leave from close to me, they succeed'?!

 

[daeman]

...
People, when they leave me, they thrive.

to leave / get away from someone | leave someone's side

 

[Theseus]

Excellent translation! Thanks, Daeman! It is a moving passage. At the end of the excerpt, the man says to her, after she has explained that her son is a talented violinist, Στείλε μου τον μια μέρα, είναι όμορφος, όπως εσυ; She replies:Πολύ όμορφος, και ξαφνικά άρχισε να κλαίει.