a sweet ode to chivalry

as gracious acts of courtesy with honour and generosity amongst people

“Can I help you?”

It was a question I was asked more often in 48 hours than I had been in a year.

A two-day cross-continental journey from Mallorca to Paris ✈️ Paris to Dieppe 🚆a night in a hotel 🏨 across the English Channel to Newhaven ⛴️ and a 3-train 🚆changeover to Grantham in the midlands of England with a 30 kg duffle, a carry-on, a tote and a cat in a backpack will test not only the stamina of the traveller (me) but also the kindness of strangers.

“Laisse moi porter ça!” said the Uber driver with kind eyes that crinkled all the way to his cheeks when he smiled his gap-teeth smile seeing me struggle my load towards his car at the airport in Paris.

“Where are you going"?” asked the blonde curly-tussle-haired boy in the queue at Garde Sant-Lazare watching me. “I need to get to Dieppe. But my flight was delayed and I missed my train.” I must have looked as confused and dishevelled as I felt. “I’ll take you to the right place.” He smiled leaving his spot in the queue to help me.

“Laissez-moi vous aider.” Said a stranger with dark heavy eyebrows and warm ruddy cheeks arriving late on the last train of the day at the station and sidling up alongside me. He promptly took my heaviest bag without a word or waiting for an answer and followed me all the way to the hotel.