wuzzon...

Last night I left the office after midnight. When I got to the red line platform at Park Street, I'd just missed a train going my way. So, I settled in about halfway down, at a spot that would get me onto the train in pole position for the escalator exit at Central, and cracked open my PASTORALIA, which I'm totally digging, with a solid absurd-as-everyday coolness and a frightfully high (sadly) reading-my-inner-thoughts factor. I almost sat at a bench, but in general, I feel like I'm cheating a bit if I sit when I could stand. There are always other commuters who need it more than I. Besides, Big Red takes up another spot if I put it next to me.

A pretty dainty girl in black sits in the bench. My reading slows a bit as I do my delusion thing. She looked at me. She's looking at me now. She wants me to sit down next to her. Probably because I'm harmless (which I'm not)...(Okay, I am)... And there are loud and wobbly fellas on the platform now, too. She wonders what I'm reading. She thinks Big Red is weird. Now maybe she doesn't want me to sit down, because what would I be carrying in that bag...? Now...

Some guy - who's not me - sits down next to her.

Minutes pass. This late at night, trains hit these few-and-far-between zones. I think I slide back into my reading. Then, I'm hearing them talking to each other. How did he DO that? She's got a soft little voice. He gets her to laugh a few times - tinkling bells. No $hit.

When I see her later, she reminds me of Tracey S., from journalism class in high school. Only, petiter.

I wonder if she's pissed at me for letting this happen.

But, she laughs some more.

I back step behind the column beside the bench to leave them be.

Backing up, timewise. Across the tracks, a woman has slumped down against the wall, tired, and wanting to sit (see?) she's made herself a spot on the ground. I'm a little concerned about her, but can't see my way to doing anything to help.

Of course, this works its way into a scenario w the dainty girl, before the guy. In it, I get her attention, point out the woman across the way, and ask if, when the train finally comes, do you think maybe you could go thru the train and see if she's allright. I saw her arrive -maybe you did, too?- and she looked pretty beat. I'd do it, but, y'know, I'm a boy. I figure it'll be less of an intrusion...?

Geez, that sounds pretty good, doesn't it?

And to make it really work, really real, when the train arrives, I'd step onto a car one car ahead of the one that dainty and beat girl get on.

I'm a real clod, tho. When the train DID arrive, I got on the train, looked around a little bit, just figured, w the sound of the train and the crowd (it was a long wait), the woman on the other side would be roused...

When we left, I spotted her thru the windows, still sitting on the platform concrete. Passed out? Damn.

And... I thought about it for a While as I tried to read again...

Maybe she was waiting for friends...

Frack.

Dainty got out at Central, just ahead of me. She said some pleasant goodbye to the guy. The escalator wasn't running, so we were diverted to the stairs. I got caught behind a big slow guy w a big bag and let her beat me up to the ground on the left. When she got out, she turned sharp right, back towards the Middle East.

I kept on walking...

Oh! Backing up again. I didn't realize it until Kendall, I think, but sitting across from me on the train, I'm pretty certain, was J-'s stylish gorgeous tough-girl friend, whom I met and promptly ran away from at her bbq last year (almost exactly a year ago, according to iPhoto).

She was at Park Street with a friend. They came down to the platform high on energy, but seemed to lose it all during the wait. I was mostly into PASTORALIA, and hit a moment that made me really really sad (and just a page before I was laughing), so I wasn't looking up or around, but I thought I caught something in her posture that said she didn't want me to recognize her.

Which could've just been, simply, end of a long night-ness...

And what would I have said anyhow?

Was she going to R-'s shindig?

...

Keep on keepin on~