Strangers Amuse Me: An Occasional Series

Wandering through town today to retrieve my bike and go home, I saw a group of three girls about my age. One of them looked like someone I knew, so I walked closer, wondering when I'd have to introduce myself. Realising it wasn't her, I quickly changed course so I was walking alongide them. They were about the same age as me, were pretty in a nondescript way, and had excitable cut-glass accents, meaning they were either students from Cambridge or students at Cambridge (there's a difference, believe me). The girl I'd mistaken for a friend was talking to her friends about Christmas trees: "Both trees in their flat were stolen! That's OK, students are meant to steal things..." At this point, the trio drew level with me as I was walking to the bike rack. "...But stealing from a charity shop?!"

I gritted my teeth as a big grin threatened to split my face. As they walked off into the distance, the girl added "And he thought it was OK, because they took it back after Christmas!" I threw back my head and guffawed. Oblivious to the effect they'd had on me, the three girls walked off into the distance.