I stood, waiting at the bus stop to go to work. The sky was a muted gray. Drops of rain fell upon the ground. My breath rose as mist in the frigid air. As depressing as it sounds, I could not show my sadness. They didn’t like it when we were sad. They wanted us to be happy. We were taught not to cry as children, how to hold your smile, how to hide your emotions. And if you got caught being, you would be arrested. So with grim determination I set my face into a smile. The bus pulled up with a screech. The driver smiled at me with dull eyes. I smiled back and so did everyone else. I made my way down the aisle. They thought that if they forced us to act happy, it would make us happy. But it didn’t work, I thought sitting down. As the bus drove forward I tried to ignore the weighing of my heart and the stinging of my eyes. No, it didn’t work at all.