«’Cuse me!»

«Hey! Excuse me!»

You know the way you sometimes just know someone is talking to you – even if you don’t recognise the voice, your name is not mentioned, and you can’t even see the person. However, telling myself I am being big-headed, I continue walking. 

“’Cuse me! Girl with the blue rucksack!” 

Hesitantly I turn around. Further down the street are three girls. Distinctly Essex girls – which you can tell by the accent, clothes, and layers of makeup. 

“Not to be weird or anything,” the three girls glance at each other, sharing that kind of earnest big but also embarrassed smile. “Not to be weird, but you’re really pretty. And I don’t mean that in a creepy stalkery way,” the girl quickly adds. “But you are really pretty. I just said it to my friend, you should really go into modelling.” 

The two other girls nodd engaged. By now we have taken several careful steps toward each other, though still keeping a healthy stranger distance.

 

“I’m not joking, but you really should go into modelling.” 

“Yeah,” one of the other two girls speak up, eager to join the conversation. “It’s this-“ she points vagely to her chin, her eyes. She tries again, “It’s this whole… area,” her hand gives up being specific and just circles her face. We all laugh. 

“But yeah,” the first girl says. “You’re really pretty – I mean, you look like you’re not even wearing makeup. Are you wearing makeup?” 

I shake my head. “No,” I add. In fact, I was tired from a full day of school, my hair was fuzzy, I was in jogging trousers and a hoodie, and probably smelled faintly of horse. Yet the three girls look at each other again with a look I can only describe as… awed?

 

“You’re really pretty.” 

“Yeah, don’t do this to your face,” says the second girl, pointing to herself, and I assume she means her makeup. 

Finally my thoroughly befuddled brain catches up with events and manage to formulate a “thank you.” 

“You’re really pretty.” The out of the blue conversation is about to come to an end. 

“Thank you.” 

“You should do modelling or something.” We’re backing away from each other, slowly resuming our original direction. 

“Thank you so much.” And then, just as we’re about to turn away from each other, I add, “you made my day!” As we walk away in opposite directions I hear girl two say to girl one, 

“See, I told you.” 

Puzzled I walk home, sneaking peaks at my reflection in every shop window I pass, a surprised little smile on my face.