In the middle of the extraordinary disruption of 2020, when millions of people were separated from friends, relatives and familiar routines, an unlikely friendship began forming on an ordinary street in Greater Manchester.
It involved an eight-year-old girl named Tallulah and a delivery driver named Tim Joseph.
There was nothing particularly unusual about Tim arriving in the neighbourhood with parcels. During the COVID-19 lockdown, delivery drivers had become a familiar sight outside homes across Britain as families increasingly relied on deliveries.
But Tallulah did not see Tim simply as the person who brought packages to the door.
She noticed him.
She learned that he was profoundly deaf.
And rather than allowing that difference in communication to become a barrier between them, Tallulah decided to find another way to say hello.
She began learning some sign language.
What happened next lasted only a few seconds on camera, yet the moment travelled around the world.
A Friendship That Started With a Rainbow
Tallulah lived in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, with her family.
During the first coronavirus lockdown in 2020, Hermes delivery driver Tim Joseph regularly delivered parcels to homes in the area.
Tallulah's mother, Amy Roberts, said the family would see him once or twice a week.
Over time, Tim became more than an anonymous delivery worker to the eight-year-old.
Their friendship began with an extremely simple gesture.
At the beginning of lockdown, Tallulah drew Tim a rainbow picture to thank him for continuing to make deliveries.
Rainbows had become a familiar symbol of appreciation during the early months of the pandemic, appearing in windows across Britain as children and families expressed support for essential workers.
Tim appreciated Tallulah's drawing enough to keep it displayed in his delivery van.
It was a small connection, but the two continued seeing each other as Tim made his rounds.
Tallulah eventually discovered that Tim was profoundly deaf.
That presented her with a problem that many adults might simply have accepted: she wanted to communicate with her new friend, but the way she normally greeted people was not necessarily going to work.
So she adapted.
"Have a Good Day"
Tallulah began learning how to communicate with Tim using sign language.
In June 2020, her mother captured one of their interactions on video.
Tallulah stood near the entrance to her home as Tim arrived with another delivery.
Instead of simply waving goodbye, she used sign language to tell him:
"Have a good day."
Tim immediately understood.
His face broke into a smile.
He responded enthusiastically and then helped Tallulah with another greeting, showing her how to sign "good morning."
The interaction was brief and uncomplicated.
There was no elaborate ceremony.
There was simply an eight-year-old child making an effort to communicate with another person in a language that was accessible to him.
ITV News later reported on the friendship, describing Tim as profoundly deaf and explaining that Tallulah had been learning to sign so the two could communicate.
When the video was shared online by her mother, millions of people watched it.
For viewers living through an isolating and frightening period, the exchange between Tallulah and Tim offered something unexpectedly hopeful.
Tim's Reaction
The most memorable part of the video may be Tim's reaction.
At first, Tallulah begins signing.
Tim watches carefully.
Then he understands.
He smiles broadly, responds and begins communicating back.
What makes the scene powerful is precisely how ordinary it is.
Tallulah was not delivering a speech or performing for an audience. She was trying to have a normal friendly interaction with somebody she knew.
But she had changed the way she communicated so that the conversation could include him.
The exchange did not end with Tallulah demonstrating what she had learned.
Tim became her teacher too.
After Tallulah signed "have a good day," he showed her the signs for "good morning" and encouraged her as she copied his movements.