Today was what I would classify as
not a good day.
Love problems,
college problems, finding-a-job-after-college problems all aligned and boom - the waterworks started.
I'm perfectly okay with the concept of
crying however what I'm not okay with is when the venue is smack bang in the middle of college.
I decided to negotiate my escape from college in central London to my sister's house near Wembley in North London, so I made my way to the tube station. Unfortunately, the machines were not working so I actually had to go to the ticket counter and talk to another human being.
With my head down, I asked for the appropiate travelcard.
"You can have me if you like, love"
Looking up, I could see a genuine mischievous smile on the face of one of those kindly men who obviously loved his job - meeting and talking to people.
"Oh ok. You can have your travel card. That'll be 4 pounds 30, love"
I handed over the money and returned his smile with one of my own. Not a grimace through teary eyes or a glazed smile through an alcohol induced haze but a genuine smile coupled with a sincere "thank you"
His smile got me through my tube journey without breaking down into tears again and it even made me smile at other people. It was simple, free and easy to do but it meant more to me than he will ever know.