Love Carrier, Heart Stealer

Part of my London mission has been to be what my dear friend called a “love carrier.” That is, someone who acts as a messenger, bringing gifts from afar to those in love. I’ve accomplished this in two capacities.

First, I brought a lovely wrapped gift from my friend back home to her new girlfriend in London, not coincidentally, the woman who brought me to Elephant & Castle. It was a near perfect synergistic moment. I handed the gift to her, and she handed me a part of London I never would’ve known, but will now forever remember, at least from my vantage point today. I like this gig, the returns are well worth it.

Second, I met up with my good friend’s old English pal here in London, and while I had nothing to offer, I am bringing something back with me for her, a little gift courtesy of my new London friend. Again, he brought me to the south end squat, the dancehall night and to see Malika Booker yesterday. Talk about unfair. I like being a love carrier, not only does it have a nice ring to it, it also has great benefits. Anybody want to sign me up?

On the other side of the spectrum, yesterday at the Sunday Up Market, I bought a little keychain affectionately called the heart stealer. It’s fabulous, as you can see above. If only all heart stealers could be so adorable, the world would be a much shinier place, don’t you think? Notice the bag full of multi-coloured hearts, it’s oh so cold, but I can’t help but smile. I wonder what the world would be like if breaking a heart, stealing it really, was nothing more than removing an organ that was replaceable. It’d probably be less painful in the end, as some of us know, a broken heart takes ages to heal, much more than any old physical ailment, or at least most of them.

The funny thing is my new green & white friend can be seen as either a love carrier, with a bag full of hearts to spread around, or a heart stealer, with the same bag full of hearts thiefed from those in love. It all depends on how the wind blows, and what side of the bed you wake up on. Yesterday he was a thief, today she is a carrier. What will tomorrow bring?