Pushchairs, trolleys and a London bus

The London bus is crowded, its passengers are the normal blend of working-class, multicultural Eastenders. Most of the passengers on the lower deck are young mothers with pushchairs and the elderly with shopping trolleys.

The mothers and elderly trolley owners are in a continual dance; every time the bus stops to let passengers alight or get on, there is a need to rearrange the available, limited space.

After a while, the dances are getting too much for one particular woman and her trolley. She is tutting aloud and is visibly annoyed. She eventually finds a seat next to the doors; her trolley stands alone and just out of reach, wobbling as the bus bumps along.

An elderly gent who is standing nearby makes eye contact with the disgruntled woman. He smiles and then places his hand on her trolley to stabilise it. The woman returns the smile and offers the man a mint. He accepts the reward, and nothing else is said.