And She Smiled

I walk this crowded street alone. The intensity of the Mexican sun warms my back and shoulders in a matter of seconds, and soon I am uncomfortably warm. I glance up at the sky and think to myself for the millionth time that somehow the sky is bluer here than it is at home: more piercing and perfect. A glance to my right takes in a woman sitting outside her chocolate store with a serious expression cloaking her face. I glance to my left to see three men talking softly as they sit outside a home; each one with hard angles and creases crossing his face and not a hint of merriment touching his lips. Another woman walks ahead of me carefully holding a baby in her arms so that the sun does not shine in his eyes, and she tightly holds hand of her small daughter who is quietly walking beside her. Suddenly three mangy dogs up on a roof begin to bark at our passing simply for the joy of making noise. At a glance behind me I swiftly move from the street to the sidewalk to let three students piled onto a single bicycle pass by. Every face I see holds a somber expression, a serious demeanor is held by all; but, as I walk by the woman selling chocolates I look her in the eye and say, “Buenos Dias” with a smile full across my face. Immediately her eyes light up, she nods in my direction as she returns my greeting, and then… she smiles. The change in her face is so dramatic that I am caught by the beauty of such a sudden smile. Creases that before showed a hard life now crinkle in the perfect places to reveal her true beauty. The little girl walking ahead of me looks back at the noise behind her and our eyes meet. I softly say, “Hola” and offer her a wave and another smile. At first she simply stares at me over her mother’s hand unsure. Then, she glances up at her mother’s face, and finally turns forward to face the street in front of her. One quick moment passes and something marvelous happens. This little child shyly turns back my way and offers me a small, bashful, beautiful smile. She smiled. She smiled at me. There are times when I watch a picture be taken here and I wonder why no one makes an effort to smile; times when I look through my own pictures and realize that only the Americans are smiling, and my heart misses the merriment of a simple smile. Then I have days when I walk down the street and everyone I greet gives a quick, simple, pure smile, and I am struck once more by the beauty of an unexpected smile. Occasionally I wonder if perhaps saving smiles makes them more special. I wonder if maybe I give mine away too often; maybe the Mexican way is better. Then, I realize that she smiled. She smiled at me when I smiled at her. My smile takes no effort –I am used to smiling when I see people- but this time my smile caused others to smile too. She smiled. She smiled at me.