Glee

I was at a convenience store somewhere in Diliman when I saw something I haven’t seen in a long time.  The lady at the register handed a boy, around 3 years old, his ice cream sundae. As soon as the cone touched the boy’s fingers, he let out a squeal of delight that everyone in the store turned to see what the commotion was.

He was so ecstatic, and I stood there, mesmerized, rooted to the spot.  That’s happiness, right there, I thought to myself. And it was contagious.  I stood there and I saw everyone else acknowledging the boy’s bliss, and we all looked at each other and smiled.

Me, smiling. At a stranger.

I had a stupid grin on my face as I walked out.  It felt so strange and foreign that I didn’t realize I was tearing up a bit until my glasses fogged up.

I don’t know if it was his first ice cream sundae, but as I walked out, I sent out a wish to the Universe for that little boy to never lose that sense of wonder.

For us, who sometimes forget.