The Last Day of the Week

It's early, and the streets are empty as I walk to the train in the morning breeze. I get to the station and down to the platform, and it is almost empty too. Somewhere towards the back a man is busking a tune on a saxophone, interrupted occasionally by the crazy rants of a homeless person across the tracks.

I get on the train and run into Ariella G. She takes a seat next to Cassie F. who is already on board. Cassie is so engrossed in her book she doesn’t realize we are there. I stand next to the two of them and chat with Ariella. She is wearing a thin gray top with a black skirt and a gray-black scarf to match. She is wheeling a red and gray suitcase with her, and she tells me she is going to visit her grandmother for the weekend.

Cassie yelps when she finally notices us. It’s her last day at the summer job she’s been working, with two weeks of vacation before she start school again. Her coworkers are planning a surprise party for her, but she found out and just needs to decide how surprised she is going to act. For the occasion, she has dressed in a green shirt, with white stripes, and a long black skirt.

We chat some more untill I get off at 59th. Scattered on the platform floor are the remains of a newspaper coupon section, and a few people are surreptitiously eyeing them. Finally, one women bends down and saves $1 off her next purchase of Colgate.