I might not have noticed her had I been in my own world, fixated on what was playing in my ears. Wearing headphones made me feel as if I was swaddled in sound: it could be comforting, but the world was dulled and separate. I noticed a little boy hawking his painted pebbles from a seaside hut in Essex like a 19th-century market trader. It’s easier to start a conversation if my first response is not “What?” as I peel off my headphones. As for that January night, I’ll never know what happened to the stranger, but I’m glad I was paying attention.

Source: The Guardian March 30, 2026 14:30 UTC