pretty girl pretty swell

I met a pretty girl today while catching up with my friends from secondary school.

We've been around for quite a while, sticking together from primary to secondary school, past the tertiary gap and now bonded together by National Service.

One served, one serving and one yet to serve.

We took turns on updating ourselves on whos who and whats what. Mostly though, they gave me the load down of National Service, pearls of wisdom passed down generations through word of mouth.

Not realising we had to write down our orders on the form provided, I approached the cashier, a pretty young thing in her 20's, with the menu in tow.

Excuse me, could I have drink X?

Oh sir, you'll have to fill in the order form first

Flustered, my eyes darted around for the elusive form in question. Noticing my confusion, she took charge of the situation.

Not to worry sir, just tell me the order numbers for the items you want and I'll just type it in.

Ah yes, thank you. I'm really sorry for the confusion, it's my first time here and I'm not used to the system.

I was distracted from ordering the drinks as I was looking at her. Not at her bits mind, but at the radiant smile emitting from her face as she took down my order.

Smiles are addictive, so I ended up breaking into a smile myself as I thanked her before returning to my seat. The smile carried on throughout the evening, lighting up my mood even as I bid farewell to my friends and we made our way home.

---

I realise that beauty to me is all about the inside. Sure, she was pretty on the outside, but what made her stand out was the warmth as she served me and her addictive smile. Without this qualities, she would be as lifeless as any person on the street. Qualities to think about as I wander in search of a companion.