Can I pet your dog?

The clear voice of the little girl caught my ear right away. I love this innocent way children have of approaching strangers with oblivious confidence. Not aware yet of the fear of others they will slowly but surely develop, as years will go by.

How polite!  I thought, knowing that most kids would have stretched a hand towards the small hound, no question asked. But the little blond head had walked to the bearded man, looking straight at him, and requested the permission to caress the puppy.

Sure, she is a nice doggy, go ahead!

Kneeling down on the wagon’s floor, the little girl presented her hand to the dog, allowing it to smell her foreign smell. Delicately running her small fingers in the short fur, the puppy greeted the caress with a quick wave of the tail. The child’s gaze walzed from the dog to its owner’s face again, and despite the bicycles blocking my view, I could hear the smile on her lips, in her clear singing voice.

What’s her name?

The metro’s voice covered the man’s reply, and I had to get up, not to miss my stop. Still, I could not look away just yet, appreciating this simple though so lovely moment. The chance encounter between an anonymous dog, its anonymous bearded owner, an anonymous young blond and an anonymous foreigner, watching from the other end of the wagon.

I could have overlooked this brief meeting. I also could have let it slip into oblivion, witnessing it, and then letting it fade from my memory as soon as it was over. But these little gem micro stories make Life so much sweeter, in a big, bad, bitter world.

Today, only God knows if this man or this girl even remember crossing paths… Probably not. They have come and gone, like ghosts in each other’s stories. But these two or three minutes of their life are now immortalized.

And maybe, in a way, that’s one of us storytellers’ duties. To keep little memories alive. To be on the lookout for sweet little nothings, that could easily go unnoticed. If it is so, I think I am up for the task. I think.

Keep these moments coming, Life!