POWER OF A CONVERSATION

That day the weather forecast showed a storm was approaching. I was in college, and since my college is next to the sea, strong winds were coming my way, strong enough to knock a bicycle down. I booked a cab and waited for it to come. I was alone.

I got into the cab and I figured the driver was Muslim. He looked fairly good, and was polite enough to greet me with a ‘good evening, ma’am’. I was taken aback. This was the first time someone at least twice my age had called me ma’am. I chuckled and said please don’t call me ma’am. The traffic was way too much because everyone wanted to get home before the storm. The 10-minute route was going to take way longer than expected. 

After some time he asks me, “so, where do you come from?” I normally wouldn’t give away the details but something said okay, this man is safe enough. I told him where I stay, he was very curious about the fact that he picked me up from an engineering college. 

That day, the 35-minute cab ride was the fastest. We talked about studies, I told him about the fact that I wanted to do journalism and a lot of other things that I normally wouldn't share with a stranger. Sports, politics, how the government was least interested about the floods. 

And 35 minutes later, before I got out, we shook hands. I felt content. I there was a different level of satisfaction. 

Try initiating a conversation with a stranger sometimes, you might end up sharing deep dark secrets about yourself, secrets that you don’t normally share. And after a while, you leave with a smile on your face. You have also, made a stranger smile