Smiling at Someone You Don’t Recognize There are few moments in life as quietly terrifying as smiling at someone you don’t recognize—and realizing, too late, that they were smiling at someone behind you. This is not the kind of fear that makes your heart race or your palms sweat. No, this is a slow-burning, soul-crushing embarrassment that sits in your chest and whispers, “You will remember this at 3 a.m. for the rest of your life.”