The Good Samaritan

The young woman is on the phone to her boyfriend as she lengthens her stride and overtakes me on the way to the train station.

"Anyway, see you later. Yeah. Love you."

She stops and looks down at her trouser leg.

"Shit! I've got bird shit!"

She turns to me.

"Have you got a tissue? I've got bird shit."

I blew my nose a minute ago but I have a spare tissue. I tell her I don't have one.

"Shit."

I have a change of heart.

"Actually, I've got a clean one."

I rummage around in my pocket. I pick up the tissue at the bottom and hand it to her.

"Thank you," she says.

I walk away and my nose begins to run. I pull out what feels like a clean tissue.