The article recounts the author's experience working as a bartender in London during her study-abroad year. Despite attending Smith College on a scholarship, financial pressures persisted, stemming from a modest upbringing on a family farm. The author connected with her manager, Henry, who shared her working-class background. Their conversations provided solace amidst her busy college schedule. While her classmates prepared for lavish summers, she found comfort in simple dialogues with Henry, who represented an attainable piece of her London adventure. As her departure approached, their bond lingered, leading to a heartfelt farewell invitation.
In London, when my school's monthlong exam marathon began, I picked up bar shifts that the other students had dropped to study.
I loved my London life and wanted to stay, but I had a flight home at the end of May, a summer job, a year left at college and a boyfriend waiting for me.
Henry was like me—working to live, earning his way. He felt like a little oasis, a piece of London I could afford.
The day I left for home, he texted: Coffee at Paddington before your train leaves?
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