A TRAIN OF LOVE.
Mariam was a Nigerian-born law student, juggling school and part-time work in London. Every day was packed. She lived by her planner, hardly ever deviating from her routine. One cold March evening, she missed her usual train from Paddington by just a minute. Frustrated, she sat on the bench waiting for the next one.
Anthony was a quiet British-Ghanaian graphic designer, headphones on, sketchpad always in hand. He also missed his train that day—something he never did. He sat down next to Mariam, who was furiously texting someone about being late.
She glanced sideways and noticed him sketching. “Are you drawing me?” she asked, half-joking.
Anthony looked up, smiled. “Would you be mad if I said yes?”
They both laughed—and talked—for the entire train ride. It was easy. No pressure. Just genuine connection. Before Mariam got off at her stop, he asked for her number. She hesitated, then gave it to him.
The Long Road
Their first date was a small art gallery in Shoreditch. Mariam wasn’t even sure if she liked art, but she liked how Anthony talked about it—like every piece had a heartbeat. Over time, they fell in love, slowly. They were very different: she was driven, type-A, skeptical of big romantic gestures. He was calm, idealistic, and believed everything happened for a reason.
They had fights—over career goals, distance when Mariam briefly moved to Bristol for work, and especially when Anthony lost his job during the pandemic in 2020. But they always came back to each other, learning how to love without needing the other to be perfect.
The Proposal
On the exact platform where they met, six years later to the day, Anthony surprised Mariam with a simple ring and a sketch of her face he had drawn on the day they met—crumpled but carefully saved. He had written on it:
“Some delays are blessings in disguise.”
Mariam said yes with tears in her eyes.
Today
They’re married now. Two kids. Mariam is a barrister, Anthony works from home designing children's books. They still take the train sometimes, just to sit together and remember how the wrong train became the right one.
