The Hague Online's 'Writer in Residence' Jo Parfitt is musing about . . .

Don’t miss an opportunity

April column 2010

Last weekend I was in London. On the Saturday evening I took the Central line tube to Notting Hill to meet a friend. It was 7pm and the carriage was packed. Everyone was going out and had dressed carefully. Yet no one was talking. We all buried our noses in our books or, like me, read the advertisements that run in a row just above the windows.

Suddenly there was a movement. The beautiful African lady opposite was rummaging in her handbag. Her long red nails carefully fished through her possessions until she found what she was looking for – her bottle of nail varnish. Then something extraordinary happened.

Silently and gently, the Chinese lady on her right picked up the African’s lady right hand, took the varnish out of her fingers and began to paint her nails for her. Still, everyone else averted their eyes. Everyone but me.

I was fascinated as I watched this wordless communication between complete strangers. The two women involved acted as if this was something that happened to them every day. The lady with the nails stared straight ahead. The one doing the painting focused on her client’s hand. It transpired that neither lady had actually been travelling alone and their companions began to nod and smile as through their sign language it became clear that the Chinese lady was in fact a professional manicurist. She finished and placed the brush back into the pot.

‘Thank you!’ said the African, fluttering her ruby nails in the fetid air of the carriage to dry them.

The manicurist simply inclined her head in acknowledgement.

Well, I could not bear it. If I had been among friends I would have growled. I leaned forward in my seat. How could the manicurist miss such a fabulous opportunity that many people who run their own businesses would pay good money for. I had to speak up.

‘So,’ I said. ‘Why don’t you,’ I looked at the mancurist, ‘give her,’ I nodded towards her satisified customer, ‘give her a brochure, tell her where you work!’ I laughed more in hope than amusement. Soon several other people in the carriage joined in. ‘Don’t miss an opportunity like this!’ I added.

‘Go on!’ encouraged her companions.

The manicurist dug around in her own bag and eventually found a crumpled flyer from her salon. She handed it over silently and the African lady and her friend perused it carefully, their eyebrows raised as they recognized the the salon was not only close to where they lived but open late nights and offering a huge range of services.

The African lady’s friend looked down at her chipped gold nails for a second. ‘Can I make an appointment for next week?’ she asked and at last the manicurist broke into a grin.

A week later that incident still puts a smile on face and it reminds me that wherever we go, whatever we do, there are opportunities everywhere. We see situations that inspire us and can see the parallels in our own lives. Other entrepreneurs could apply the manicurist’s tactics and spontaneously offer tastes of their products or services to complete strangers too.

Writers too should keep their eyes out for things they could write about. But, regardless of your own particular niche, you must always ensure you have the tools of your trade with you – your business cards, flyers, your notebooks, your pens.

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