Wrong Arm

This evening, as I leave the tube station on the way to meet Lolly, there is a man in front of me, walking up the stairs ahead of me. There is a woman, a tourist, also walking up the stairs ahead of me, but to the right of him. She has her eyes on her feet, watching the steps rather than what is ahead of her. She reaches without looking and links his arm. He turns to her, quizzically saying, "Oh...hello?" She looks up and realises that he isn't the person whose arm she intended to link. "Oh, pardon!" She starts to laugh, embarrassedly. He giggles at her. The girl ahead of her, probably her daughter, turns and sees what has happened and starts to laugh too. A man just behind her, presumably her husband and intended recipient of the arm-link, looks up and starts laughing at his wife's mistake. The first man giggles at her and shrugs his shoulders sympathetically while laughing. I can't help but grin at all of them and notice other commuters smiling too. Without a common verbal language, they continue to laugh and gesture to each other until they reach the top of the stairs. I continue to chuckle to myself and see a guy nearby me also smiling, as he walks past. Later, I tell Lolly about it and she cracks up with laughter. I love these little moments that happen amidst the hustle and bustle of the commute and randomly give you a reason to smile.