An Unexpected Smile

Monday - Easter Monday -- is a stat holiday in our company. Together with Good Friday, it made up the long weekend this month. What a good opportunity it should have been to go out and take a holiday. However, workload didn't permit me.

Waking up that day, I literally have to drag myself out of bed. I wanted to be at work before my supervisor gets in -- had to ready the stuff he will be working on that day. Up and about...went to Burnaby thinking already of what I will do when I get home!

The day went on smoothly. I probably went through 2500 images. Not much for the 2 books I was working on. It was pretty quiet as only a handful of us insanely came in. No phone calls from sales. These 2 combined equated to: LOTS OF WORK DONE! By 4pm, I had enough...am going home.

When I got on the bus at the terminal, I had to go to the back as there were no more vacant front seats. Had to stop on my track as there was a man in denim jacket (I can only see his back) blocking the way. It seemed he was trying to start a conversation with a middle-aged lady already seated. I've no problem with that except that he shouldn't be blocking the narrow passageway. There's already a queue behind me and some passengers were staring at them already. I was about to tell him to move when I saw him handing the lady a yellow tulip. Whoa!!! A Romeo on the bus. The lady accepted it hesitantly, probably just to avoid anymore stares. She hadn't even finished thanking him when he turned to another lady on the other side handing her also a tulip. Now...everyone's eyes are focused on the man. And then he turned and when he saw me, quickly grabbed another tulip from the bunch he was carrying and gave it to me. It was too sudden all I can do is accept it -- with a very surprised look. Realizing, probably, my reaction, he smiled and shyly uttered that it might not be the best-looking tulips he was distributing but he felt that he should share them. Then he just went past me. He handed 3 more to each of the three ladies in front before he settled to his seat -- leaving us all puzzled but smiling.

On my seat, I looked at where he was seating and wondered what is it with this man. Was he a bit crazy or was he just simply trying to be nice? I decided on the latter. Although his actions elicited varying reactions on the bus, the very thought that he brought smiles to strangers, including me, is enough to wish him good. The tulips may just be from his yard -- definitely not store-bought -- but it was the thought that mattered. And that put a smile on my face..all the way home.