SMILE

So before yesterday, the biggest moving-to-London trouble I’ve had was finding a “proper” grocery store… but yesterday I had … an adventure living here in London.

First, I was planning on meeting my friend so we could hang out for a bit before going to the YSA dance. However, I made a mess of things and ran around where I told her to meet me for over an hour trying to find her (I don’t have cell service quite yet). I couldn’t find her and I couldn’t contact her unless I went back home or went to the church for wifi – so I got on the tube and made my way to the church. Where the real story begins.

Tired, a little sweaty from running all over London, and alone, I decided to sit outside on the steps so that I could watch for her and still have some wifi… I must have had some kind of sign above me – because first this guy from my ward that I don’t know stopped to make sure I was ok, then another guy stopped and asked if he could talk to me later, and then…

Either he was drunk, high, crazy, or a combination – but this fellow walked by, looked at me – and came and sat down right next to me. He then proceeded to tell me all sorts of things… at first, I naively thought he was asking about the church, so I’d invited him to come inside and we got to talking about that for a bit.

Then, he stopped everything and said

“You are the most beautiful girl in the world. No, no. Wait, you are NOT the most beautiful girl in the world (there are lots of girls in the world, you know what I mean). BUT…wait… BUT you have the most beautiful smile in the whole world.”

He repeated this several times in our conversation, but later added, “that I have seen”… haha

Then another guy from my ward stopped, probably confused about what was going on, and listened in for a bit. The first guy – I don’t know his name, but we can call him Maximo (that’s what the online name generator came up with, haha). Maximo turns to this guy, and starts talking with him instead – should probably have seized the moment and left… but I was so bewildered… plus I hadn’t seen my friend yet so I wanted to wait for her… Anyway.

Maximo continues to talk to us for quite a while – and a lot of it was very funny… other parts made me rather uncomfortable. I don’t really remember too much – but my friend and Maximo kind of kept talking about me and my new friend getting married – I didn’t even know his name … Maximo said that doesn’t matter – and I had to laugh, coming from BYU where that seems to be the stereotype… haha. Anyway, Maximo tried to marry us on the spot… What? No. Then he decided that we had to get married in California so that Maximo could have a reason to come to “somewhere exotic.” He said my new friend and I made a beautiful couple, and that he would almost consider “going gay” for my friend… like I said, sometimes, most of the time, he was a little awkward… which resulted in me laughing uncomfortably, which probably just encouraged Maximo… Then Maximo started commenting about bringing me home with him… unless my new friend said I was the most beautiful girl in the whole world to him… poor kid. He thought quick on his feet and avoided that ultimatum and said “I want to go dance with her” – unfortunately Maximo saw through this and wouldn’t let us go.

Luckily, my new friend who is visiting London, had the best idea to text someone from inside to come and save us. We were really needed inside to help with decorations.

“But wait, can I just talk to her alone for a few minutes”

(Insert pleading look to my new friends not to leave me stranded… I can’t think quickly on my feet)

“Uh, no… we really need her help inside. Sorry”

(THANK you)

So then we were able to make our escape with relative politeness…

Thanks to Cameron McDougle for capturing this on camera... haha

…

Only to have a guy I met earlier outside, who asked to talk to me, re-ask me to talk to him alone – in a dark stairwell… thanks to my new friend again, for standing close by – I hurried and asked him to come along with me… I’m sorry, it had been a weird day. This was another slightly odd conversation – but not nearly as creepy. It was funny though because when this second guy asked if he could talk to me alone, my new friend stepped a little closer to me – and the guy was all “Oh… are you two engaged…”… we tried to explain that no we weren’t but the guy outside earlier (Maximo), had tried to – anyway.

After this conversation, we asked someone from the ward – who said that this second guy has a mental disability – so then I felt really badly… But I just didn’t know and after that first conversation on the steps…

The second guy asked me later why I brought my new friend along, and I tried to explain – but we were at a dance and he couldn’t hear me very well. So, he asked me to talk to him alone again – so this time I agreed. Thankfully, my friend who I was waiting for earlier was standing close by and made sure to keep an eye on me – then this second guy just wanted me to sit on the steps, and get to know me a bit, especially to see if I liked video games, which, I don’t particularly have that much of an interest – and I tried to be friendly and nice, but he abruptly told me to leave, so I walked out of the stairwell. (PS I’d found a light, so it wasn’t dark anymore…).

After this I didn’t really feel like staying around at the dance anymore, but I really didn’t want to go outside the church again, and walk to the tube/and flat alone… So I waited around for a bit, my friend had said she was going to leave about 10:30, so I waited till then but she and her other friend were having such a good time that I just decided to go on my own… I was so tired guys! And no worries, I made it safely.

A really nice older gentleman even gave me some Toblerone. (unwrapped and he ate some himself) – I know you’re not supposed to take candy from strangers – but I decided that I’d had a dementor following me around for a while, so clearly I needed some chocolate. Hahaha.

And that was my day. I made it home and now I’ve slept and am almost ready for conference. :)