Wherever we step, we can encounter a story — every street, every stop, every station has one. Today, we take you into a love story that took place in London.

In London lived a woman in her sixties named Margaret, a neighbourhood doctor. Three years earlier, she had lost her husband Oswald. Her husband had been an actor, devoting his life to his craft. Margaret’s grief had only grown with time; she mourned him every day and missed him even more.

Eventually, Margaret reached a point where she was starting to forget the sound of her husband’s voice. Bit by bit, his voice — the way he used to say “Did you sleep well last night?”, “Would you like a cup of tea?”, or “I love you…” — was slipping from her memory. These were simple sentences, but they carried profound meaning. The fact that she could no longer recall her husband’s voice was slowly tearing her apart inside.

During this dark period, she received a phone call one day from a friend. Her friend said, “Don’t go home the usual way tonight. Change your route and go to Embankment station instead. When you get there, be sure to take the northbound platform.” Then the friend hung up. Margaret didn’t understand why her friend had made this request.

That evening, Margaret followed her friend’s advice and arrived at Embankment station. She went to the northbound platform and sat on a bench, waiting for the train. When a train pulled in and the doors opened, she heard the station announcement: “This is Embankment station. Please mind the gap.”

Margaret could hardly believe what she heard — it was her husband’s voice. Twenty-five years earlier, Oswald had recorded the voice announcements for the London Underground’s stations for broadcasts on behalf of the Northern Line. Margaret had never known about this. The recordings had long been forgotten, but one of them was still used on the northbound platform at Embankment.

From that day on, Monday through Friday, Margaret took that route on her way home from work. Every day she sat on the same bench and listened to the same announcement without ever growing tired of it. Every time a train arrived and the doors opened, hearing that voice made her feel as though she had been reunited with her husband. Imagining him beside her, she relived her happy memories at this “waiting stop for love.”

WRITTEN BY: Hussain Kaya — London
PHOTO: J. Kelly