“Smiles are free”
It’s an interesting concept; that of ordering something which, as the sign states, is perfectly free. Do we all order smiles? In our increasingly fast paced world, is it simply easier to reduce the smile to nothing more than a means to an end? After all, if you smile to a woman on the street it obviously means you want to sleep with them, why else would you do it? Answers like, “I’m just happy” or “They looked a little down” simply make things confusing, right? After all, we are in a hurry.
To test my hypothesis I turned to the woman in line behind me, giving her a smile of my own I asked, “Hey, what do you think? Should I switch it up and try something different today?”
She rolled her eyes at my smile slightly, shrugging her shoulders. “Umm, I’m not sure…whatever you feel like I guess.” The curt statement was followed by a quick check of her cell phone.
I nodded, turning back to the cashier. I seemed to be right, at least on that occasion. It makes sense, and I suppose it’s easier this way. Why talk to a stranger any place other than downtown amidst the flowing social lubricants? You know, where you can have conversations like these. We’re building a better, more efficient world; sure you walk out onto the street and all you hear is car horns and traffic, but if you listen even more closely – utter silence.
“Same old number five I suppose… and a smile!” I said proudly.
