When was the last time you bumped into someone you didn’t know and smiled? Hmm? I’m betting never… unless you live in the countryside as opposed to London, then you might actually be nice to people from time to time. Londoners, however, do not generally say howdy to strangers. And if a stranger says howdy to us, we immediately decide that they must be trying to rape and/or murder us.
It was a Sunday afternoon – Nicole and I had been defeated by public transport on our way to the Christmas Fayre in Angel (curse you Victoria line), and resorted to walking (in sturdy yet fabulous heels) from Kings Cross Station. On the way, we stopped at a crossing waiting for the lights to change, when a lost looking Irish girl politely interrupted our raucous conversation about Saturday night’s frivolities and asked if we might be able to point her in the direction of the Business Centre.
“Oh, are you going to the Christmas Fayre?” I asked. “We are too, it’s still quite a way but it’s a pretty straight road. We’re going too so you can just follow us.”
Well, she did. And the three of us had a merry old journey, chatting away about our vastly different industries (theatre vs fashion) and other such things. We’d almost reached the centre, when she used the magic words.
“Have you guys got tickets?”
We did in fact have one have one, and were intending on trying to blag our way in on a single ticket, due to it being nearly the end and the bloody things costing an arm and a leg or suck it up and pay for a second one so Nicole could get in (mine was free… obviously. I don’t carry money, I’m like the queen).
“Don’t worry, I’ve got a spare,” she said, handing it to Nicole. “You can have it – they gave me two as a promo thing. I’m supposed to pick out suppliers I like for work so I got a free pair.”
And so, after a quick email address exchange, Nicole and I wandered through a haven of magical Christmas fabulousness all afternoon for absolutely no money at all.
Why thank you kind stranger!
Faith in the human race, restored. So smile at a stranger today – go on, try it! Worst that will happen is they will think you’re going to rape and/ or murder them.
RitziCx
*PS if you can tell me what the title of this post is from you get a prize.
Unless you are my SGF because it’s just too darn easy for you.


