The Woman at the Bus Stop Smiled at Me Every Morning — One Day, She Didn't.

Let me tell you something about hope. Hope is not a grand thing. Hope is a woman with honey-colored hair standing at a bus stop on a rainy Tuesday, smiling at you like you're the only person in the world who matters. I built my entire morning around that smile. I woke up ten minutes early just to get the best angle. I rehearsed what I'd wear. I timed my walk so we'd arrive at the exact same second. And then, one ordinary Tuesday, she looked at me — and she didn't smile. And I spent the next twenty-four hours convinced I had ruined the only good thing in my life. Stick around, because what actually happened is the most embarrassing, wonderful thing that ever happened to me.