Getting in Shape

I have little choice this morning but to take my clothes to the laundromat. My boss will likely appreciate it despite my lateness. On the way there, I see Elli L. as he leaves the synagogue across the street.

I drop off the laundry and start trekking to the subway. At 186th there is a convergence of train-goers. Behind me a pair of high heels digs loudly and rhythmically into the tar below. In front, my path is blocked by two large women, one very tall, the other very wide.

Inside the station tunnel, a woman pushing a baby stroller says hi to Newspaper Guy. An old man cuts me off to the turnstiles. I go down to the platform and I run into one of neighbors. She wishes me a good morning.

On the train, I sit next to a woman with a giant suitcase, with a label that reads "Dodds Athletic Tours." The woman, young and thin, has a definitively athletic physique. She is wearing a long white sweater, which reaches below her knees, over a gray t-shirt and khaki cargo pants. She has blue and gray sneakers and her blond hair is pushed back into a pony tail, revealing tiny unpierced ears. She gets off at 125th, the absence of her suitcase giving my legs a bit more room for the rest of the ride.