Romance in Liverpool Street Station

    James was a strange guy. He had forty years and he lived alone in a small studio flat in Chigwell, a neighbourhood just outside London.

James had a job as a cleaner in a financial firm in the area of Liverpool street, Central London.  

His days were the same: he woke up six am, he took a quick shower, he made his Yorkshire pudding for breakfast, he wore the same outfit almost everyday, he worked his ass off for twelve hours a day then he went home to sleep.

 

   James had no friends, he wasn’t a well spoken man, neither funny and he barely had a desire to socialise anyways. Everyone saw him as a weirdo and even avoided looking at him.

He had no family either, his parents died when he was ten years old and he grew up with his grandfather who felt obliged to do it just to not live the boy in the streets.

James had no taste for life, the only image he had of himself is a weird looking grown up lonely man and the only plans he had was to work and sleep.

 

    Life remained the same for the poor man: the same job, the same studio flat, the same Yorkshire pudding until one day something unexpected happened.
That day he took the central line from Chigwell station as usual and when he arrived to Liverpool street stop he was shocked: as soon as he stepped out of the train there was this beautiful girl smiling right at him!
She had a sort of a South American look, brown playful eyes, black curly hair, small nose, dark skin, some sexy curves, red lipstick on and a very naughty smile.
James couldn’t believe it, he looked elsewhere for few moments and then looked back and she still smiling at him with same face expressions and playfulness.

His face became red, he got confused and immediately run away to the first exit of the station.

He arrived to work, he put his uniform on and started his long shift. But he couldn’t focus as he kept seen the girl’s face everywhere: in every floor he wiped, every window he cleaned and every surface. Basically everywhere!

That night he couldn’t sleep, his head kept spinning around. His imagination got wild and he went very far with every possible romantic and sexual scenario.  

The next morning, he woke up with a feeling that he wasn’t used to: excitement. For the first time in forty years he looked forward to something.
He spend fifteen minute in front of mirror checking out himself and it felt strange. He never did it before, there was no reason for it really.

James took the train as usual from Chigwell underground, few minutes later he heard a voice announcing: “Next station is Liverpool street, doors will open from right hand side please mind the gap”.

His heart started to beat fast, he got nervous and he could feel himself sweating. Few seconds later the doors opened and he saw the same girl again at the same spot making the same eye contact and having the same smile.

James smiled back this time, as if he knew that the beautiful woman would be there but he run away again and left the station.

Day after day, he kept seeing the same girl every morning at the same spot, at the same time but nothing happened apart exchanging a smile and making eye contact with her. He named her Maria as he couldn’t dare to ask for her real name.

James started to develop a desire to talk to this girl but somehow he knew that he ranked a deserved zero on every possible and known attractiveness scale.

He decided to ask for help but he remembered that he haven’t got any friends. The man was very determined to get help so he decided to talk to Andrew, the receptionist.

Andrew was like a role model somehow for James. He was handsome, well built, funny and everyone liked him. Every girl in the firm said good morning and smiled to Andrew, almost everyone seemed to have certain interest in the guy.
When James finally decided to go to Andrew and tell him the story, the receptionist started to laugh and said: “Mate, you have so much work to do before you even dare to go and talk to any girl in this planet haha”.
James felt down for a bit but deeply he knew he was a loser.

After a short moments of silence, Andrew said: “You know what mate no worries, you came to the best person for this things. Let meet for a pint after work and I will give you the tips you need”.

James was very happy to hear that and he looked forward for it all day.
After finishing their shifts the two men went a pub nearby, they talked for hours and ordered a pint after the other. At midnight they called it a night and they went home.
James started to take the receptionist advices: he cut his long hair, trimmed his beard, he bought a nice fragrance and he purchased some nice shirts and Jeans.
He kept seeing Maria everyday, always at the same place like a daily morning date.

He also started to go to the pub more often with Andrew to talk and update him about his things with Maria. James also looked forward to dressing up and going to the pub for a drink with his new mate. He felt good about his new look, new friendship and started to build some confidence.

 

    Things remained the same for over two months until that morning when James had the first heartbreak in his forty years: as he stepped out of the train, he saw someone taking away Maria! He started to panic and scream at the underground worker: “Leave her alone! Leave her alone!”

The worker looked at him: “Are you okay sir? Who you are talking about?”

“Maria, leave her in peace don’t hurt and take her away!” James screamed.

The worker was confused: “Maria? Who is Maria what are you talking about?”

James finally had the courage, grabbed Maria and he took her from the worker’s hand.

The worker shouted at him: “Are you mad mate! It’s just a fucking wall advert!”

Maria in fact was a commercial poster of a fashion brand, like the ones you seen in underground stations. A photo of a very beautiful woman, in a perfect body shape, with sexy dress smiling at you!

James knew what it was. But the poor man was deeply desperate for love to the point he got delusional and decided subconsciously to create Maria!

When he told Andrew about it at the pub he laughed for a good half hour, he ordered shots of tequila and said to James: “You gotta be kidding me mate, you are the sickest yet the funniest motherfucker I ever met”.

 Andrew decided to help his friend. He took him to a psychotherapy clinic where they took a good care of him and the treatment results were exceptional.

After the experience with Maria, meeting Andrew and his successful therapy something changed in James: He now sees his potential. He feels like there are things that he can get and he can do. He believes that he can have friends.

Today James still live in the same little studio however, he’s now a receptionist in a fancy five-star hotel (oh yeah and he often gets lucky).

 

 

  Some people intend to self-sabotage, set a limit, put a negative labels on their front head by their own hands. They keep building an internal bad image about themselves until it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy: it becomes who they are.

You should never give up on yourself not matter what. Accept who you are but work hard to become better and always be your own best friend and supporter.

And at the end dear reader, as the saying goes: whether you think you are a failure or you are a success, you are right.