I have this strange obsession with getting strangers who look upset to smile. Thank God I wasn't an intimidating or scary looking person to see. I've been told I look kinda like a cherub. I was 5 feet tall. I had gold curls I kept in mini pigtails. My pale skin made me always look embarrassed and my wide brown eyes gave me an innocent look. When you see girls look me you tend to have the urge to trust us. A tiny sweet looking girl smiles at you and of course you smile back.

I have always been able to make an stranger smile. I have always been made to make strangers smile. Until one day he wouldn't smile. I tried all my tactics in my experience.

He was sitting in the table next to me in Starbucks drinking coffee, black. He was staring at the wall near him his face was stern and impassive. His body language was tense and high strung.

I had learned over the years how to recognize the signs of an unhappy person. I didn't even have to look anymore. I made it my personal mission of the day to make this man smile. My first step to get anyone to smile was to get their eyes on me. My method of getting his eyes on me was to walk past his table to get a muffin at the counter.

I was aware of myself as I made my way past him. I focused on walking not too fast and not too slow. Walking too slow, I had learned, made you seem creepy no matter how you looked. If you walked too fast, you would seem like you were in a rush. People who were in a rush generally seemed unfriendly.

I got my muffin, chocolate chip if you were wondering. As I walked back to my table, I tried to keep my pace. I made sure my body was completely relaxed and my shoulders showed no tension. I stuck a lazy smile on my face and unwrapped my muffin as I walked. This would make me seem more nonchalant.

When I was almost at my table I made direct eye contaact with him and widened my smile. His only reaction was to roll his eyes and continue his observation of the wall. Even though I thought that was rude, I continued my mission to get him to smile. I sat down, still looking at him in a rather obvious way. We were diagonal from each other and he pretended he couldn't feel the heat of my gaze on his face.

I grabbed my book and began to read, my lazy smile still intact. Reading was another part of my plan to get strangers to smile. Reading a book made you seem kind, likable and intelligent. The other reason I was reading was because I genuinely like books. After a chapter or so, I looked up to check if he was looking at me. He wasn't. He had pulled out his laptop. What ever he was looking at made him a little less upset. He wasn't smiling yer. Mission not accomplished. After another chapter I put my book in my bag and pulled out my notebook. I rummaged absentmindedly through my bag before looking at my angry stranger.

"Excuse me Sir do you have a pen?" I asked tapping his table.

He raised an eyebrow "Yes, here." He pulled a pen out of his hoodie pocket and handed it too me.

"Thanks, I have a stupid essay to write. Are you in college?" Ms-king conversation was my last resort on smile missions.

"No."

"Really? Did you go to college? Or straight into business?"

He sighed "If I answer you will you stop bothering me and staring at me?"

"I have one last question!"

"What is it?" He rubbed the top of his nose.

"Why are you so tense and stressed? By the way I'm Tess."

"I'm Henry. The reason I'm worried is I got dumped by my girl friend of three years. Wouldn't that upset you?" he mumbled something like 'why am I telling this to a stranger' and put his head in his hands.

I frowned, I felt kinda bad for bothering him now "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry. I was just trying to get you to smile." I could now see he was looking at pictures of him and some girl who I assume was his ex girlfriend.

He laughed in a pained way into his hands "Really?"

I got up and stood next to him, "Would a hug make you feel better?"

He looked up from his hands "Am I a total creep if I say yes?"

I smile softly down at the poor guy "Of course not," I leaned down and wrapped him up in a hug. He leaned against me and sighed.

When I pulled back I looked down at him "Better"

He gave me a weak smile and let out a soft laugh, "Surprisingly yes."

Moral of the story: How to make a stranger smile? Give them a hug.