Coincidence?

Downstairs on Bennett Ave, I see a bumper sticker on a 4x4 that reads "Silly boys, trucks are for girls." Walking to the train station, I pass Gilit H. on Overlook, as she tries to teach her daughter how to pronounce her own name.

I have a cup of hot peppermint tea in my hands, which I made before leaving for work, to try and soothe my stomach. The AM New York Guy says good morning as I walk into the station.

Benny S. is on the platform and waves. Just the other day, we had been talking about how we rarely see each other on the subway anymore. We get into different cars when the train arrives. My car is filled with the putrid smell of homeless man and at the next stop I switch, to the car where Benny is. He double takes, and I respond by waving my hand in front of my nose in a smelly gesture, and point to the other car. We laugh.

One Big Happy Family

Walking towards the train station, I see Mrs. H. talking to Gilit H. at the corner, near the Breuer’s elementary school. Walking behind me is the guy who works in my office building who’s name I don’t know. Aliza B. is also somewhere behind me.

I enter the station, and the smell of urine is a bit stronger than usual. The guy from my office passes me in the tunnel, and then I pass him back on the stairs, heading down to the platform.

The platform is replete with familiar faces. David M. is standing close to the edge, looking out for the next train, and Caryn L. is sitting on one of the benches. Benny S. is talking to a girl; I can’t quite make out who she is. When the train arrives they board the same car as I do, as does Lisa K. I disappear to the corner and watch TV on my phone.