Running Late

I’m cursing my late night Wii addiction as I head downstairs. I should have left an hour ago and can barely keep my eyes open. Turning onto 186th I see Rebecca S. and wonder if she's seen the new blog yet, and if she knows she’ll be mentioned again today. She's talking to some dude I can't recognize from behind, who turns out to be Steven R. I catch up to them and, entering the station, Rebecca asks what's up and apologizes for forgetting to take me off her volleyball email list. We hear a train coming and she makes a run for it, leaving us behind to question whether it was a downtown or not. Rebecca’s not fast enough; she is waiting for us just beyond the turnstile.

We start heading up the platform and another trains pulls in quickly. I see Shira M. and give her a fly-by hello but continue towards the front of the train. Joe S. is on the platform too. He acknowledges me with a nod that’s barely visible under his baseball cap, and enters the same car as Rebecca and Steven. I get in too but none of us sit next to each other.

Rebecca is nearby and starts listening to her iPod. I’ve left my headphones on the dining table and so I’m missing Lily Allen when I notice Esther H. in the seat right next me. We know each other, and are Facebook friends, but not much more. We say hello and she goes back to reading “Tears of the Giraffe.”

Meanwhile I watch a tall man play video games on his iPhone. He switches to a different game every few minutes and I must admit that I am both bored and jealous. Peering around I see the woman in the house slippers. Her hair is dry and frizzy, just starting to gray, and her red jacket is too big and floats over a black dress. I see her on my train often, and she is interesting because her nose is so thin.

Esther is just starting chapter 5 when the train arrives at 59th. I head out and Rebecca waves goodbye.