Mrs. Bradley, our neighbor has been one person who has always been there for Aaliyah and me ever since we had moved into this apartment. Every year during the season of August Flowers both her sons fly down and we usually have a great time singing and dancing together.

While Aaliyah and I cherish the sunset in the balcony these days, we see how lonely she feels. The passionate gardener hasn’t planted any new sapling for a month now. Other times she would say, “Hey Bob! See hibiscus there. Got it home last afternoon,” and we could see the sheer joy in her eyes. She is not being her chirpy self for quite some time now!

Smile month it is! We can’t get her sons flying down this time owing to the pandemic, but we had to do something to bring a smile on her face. We made a colorful handcrafted album for her which had all the pictures of our gala times with her since we moved in! Each picture having the lyrics of her favorite band’s songs written below. We also know how fond she is of chocolate muffins! So Aaliyah baked some chocolate Choco chip muffins for her.

In the morning we kept it on the tea table in her garden and waited in our balcony to see her reaction. At first, she was looking here and there wondering who had kept that! After she opened the album, she had the sparkle back in her eyes. She turned every page and then looked at the muffins which had the note, ‘We miss your smile, Mrs. Bradley! Brighten our days now with it, please.’

Immediately after reading the note, she looked up at us. She put her face mask down for a few seconds and then gave us a big smile.

“Thank you, Bob and Aaliyah! This means a lot! You both made my day!” she said. “We love you, Mrs. Bradley! And, we can’t wait to see what you plant next in the garden!” said Aaliyah. “Planning to get vibrant pink Dahlias next!” she said and smiled once more. Then she waved at us and went back to her apartment.

It feels good from within to be the reason for someone else’s smile. The feeling is indescribable! My dad always told me that a single act of love or kindness makes the world a breeding ground for happiness. It creates a ripple effect and brings more smiles around. “And, Bob, smile is contagious!” Dad would say. He was right! Mrs. Bradley’s smile in turn got a huge smile on both our faces, too.

That’s how it spreads! Let us make more people smile!