Oct 2016
"I need to buy a smile today," she said. "For myself."
Another girl, perhaps younger than her, got in the public SUV and sat across her. She wore the uniform of the astronomy school which the first girl had always admired. The second girl pays her ride fare as she handed down a large bill. But the driver declined it and said that he would not be able to give her change if she gave it to him. In desperation, she asked the other passengers if they have any loose change for her bill, to which they all shook their heads in pity.
The first girl sensed the young one's embarrassment and a tinge of worry formed on the latter's forehead, as she would most likely have to get off the ride for being unable to pay. As expected, the younger girl asks the older one if she had any smaller change. The first girl replies, I'm sorry, I don't have any.
But just as the moon was still visible in that morning sky and she was watching over the exchange between the two girls, the first girl felt the moon's invisible pale light rush into her: this is the person whose smile I shall buy today.
She handed the second girl a few coins which summed up to the necessary amount. "It's just fifteen, isn't it?"
Wide-eyed and a small jawdrop, the second girl accepted the coins in disbelief and said, "Are you sure, ate? You're going to pay for me?"
"Take it and give it."
"How can I ever repay you, I-"
"With a smile. It's enough. And I get to smile in return too, so thank you," the first girl nodded at her with slightly raised cheeks and went back to reviewing her notes.
"Thank you again, I can't thank you enough," the second girl smiled and waved goodbye when it was her stop.
The first girl smiled in return, once again. "Buy a smile today-- check."
*This girl, with a young heart but an old, weary mind, needs a smile everyday to survive. She can get it through buying one or trading with friends. She was this desperate to get through with any day, with just one smile. The smiles so far she has collected are from certain authors, a few strangers she has helped out, a bunch of people whom she was close with, and a group of boys. This girl, and other people. She needs them and their smiles. She needs to smile to live.
Another girl, perhaps younger than her, got in the public SUV and sat across her. She wore the uniform of the astronomy school which the first girl had always admired. The second girl pays her ride fare as she handed down a large bill. But the driver declined it and said that he would not be able to give her change if she gave it to him. In desperation, she asked the other passengers if they have any loose change for her bill, to which they all shook their heads in pity.
The first girl sensed the young one's embarrassment and a tinge of worry formed on the latter's forehead, as she would most likely have to get off the ride for being unable to pay. As expected, the younger girl asks the older one if she had any smaller change. The first girl replies, I'm sorry, I don't have any.
But just as the moon was still visible in that morning sky and she was watching over the exchange between the two girls, the first girl felt the moon's invisible pale light rush into her: this is the person whose smile I shall buy today.
She handed the second girl a few coins which summed up to the necessary amount. "It's just fifteen, isn't it?"
Wide-eyed and a small jawdrop, the second girl accepted the coins in disbelief and said, "Are you sure, ate? You're going to pay for me?"
"Take it and give it."
"How can I ever repay you, I-"
"With a smile. It's enough. And I get to smile in return too, so thank you," the first girl nodded at her with slightly raised cheeks and went back to reviewing her notes.
"Thank you again, I can't thank you enough," the second girl smiled and waved goodbye when it was her stop.
The first girl smiled in return, once again. "Buy a smile today-- check."
*This girl, with a young heart but an old, weary mind, needs a smile everyday to survive. She can get it through buying one or trading with friends. She was this desperate to get through with any day, with just one smile. The smiles so far she has collected are from certain authors, a few strangers she has helped out, a bunch of people whom she was close with, and a group of boys. This girl, and other people. She needs them and their smiles. She needs to smile to live.
a little write on how a good, genuine smile would always, ALWAYS, matter to someone-- be it from a stranger, or a familiar person. i took this from my experience for paying the girl's fare. but let's face it: the point here is not the good deed which I did, but the fact that her smile, made my day. and as i think back of all the other times (when i bought my favorite boy group's albums, my favorite writers' books, i bought desserts for my family, i bought pillows for my friends...). Smiles don't always have to be bought though: in fact it should be free. So this writing is a bit strange. But i just needed to write this down because I couldn't get the girl's smile out of my head. :)
