Little Escapes

She stood on the platform, close to the edge.  The train was rumbling by, throwing her hair in all directions.  The doors opened and she stepped inside.  She found a seat in the middle of the car.

She took a book out of her bag and stared down at the words.  She never really read anything on the train, it was more a distraction to the others so they didn't notice her staring.  She loved to people watch, that was really the true reason for taking the train, even when she didn't need to.  This morning she found herself engrossed in a couple at the end of the car.

The two were married, wearing matching rings on their left hands.  She was visibly upset and he was trying to stay calm, keenly aware of their surrounding.  “I will not help at all!” she said.

“It's only a few days.  They'll be gone before you know it.  My mother has promised to behave.”

“Behave!  She is an adult, of course she should behave and no one should have to tell her that.  She's crazy.  I don't want her anywhere near me.  Can't you make them stay in a hotel?  We can pay for it and it would be so much easier on me.”

“They're my parents.  They can't stay in a hotel and I've already promised.  Besides, the whole reason for the trip is so they can see the new house and...,” she interrupted him.  “You mean so your mother can tell me all the little things she doesn't like about the house and how she would have chosen a different color for the bathroom.”

“This is our stop,” he said.  “Can we finish this later?”

“Whatever,” she said, sounding dejected as she exited the train.

Mira looked to the other end of car.  There was a man sitting by himself, muttering about hating, “this damned blackberry.  Never seems to work and it's not like I really want people to start sending me crap at 7:45 in the morning.  What do people assume I'm doing that time of day?”  He must have become conscious of the fact he was speaking aloud and quickly stopped, looking a bit red in the face.  Mira smiled to herself and quickly made a sweep of the others on the train.

It was a quiet morning but it was summer, almost everyone was on vacation this time of year.  The city was filled mostly with tourists.  If she hung around long enough, it would fill up with a few trying to figure out how to get to the stop that let them out by a museum wearing fanny packs, socks with sandals, and usually towing a few sunburned, screaming children.  Family vacations can be so much fun.

“Can you believe she slept with him?  She met him about three weeks ago and I don't buy her story about knowing him,” said a woman with shoulder length auburn hair and slight freckles. 

“Don't judge too harshly, we've all got things in our past we choose not to remember,” said her friend.

“What's that supposed to mean?” said the auburn haired woman, with a  tinge of the sarcasm in her voice.

“Nothing, just forget it.  I'm tired of this discussion. Who really cares Molly.  It's her life, let her live it free of your criticism.”

“Hmm, aren't we a bit precocious this morning?  Who provided you with advise for the ages today?”

“Oh get off it, I don't give a shit this morning.  I don't care what she does with her life, who she sleeps with, what her car costs, or whether or not I think her new hair cut fits her face and I'm having trouble figuring out why you do.  She's a co-worker, someone you don't need to talk to.  I think the only reason you talk to her is so you can talk about her.”

“WHAT?!”  She stammered as she followed her friend out of the train.

At the end of the car a man sat sleeping with his head on the window.  A young mother dressed in a suit and heels was struggling with a stroller and diaper bag.  At the next stop a new group of riders emerged.

Mira looked down at her book, wondering what possessed her to buy it in the first place.  She'd been trying to read it for weeks now, on and off the train.  It was so boring but at least it provided an escape for a few minutes during her commute even if it was only to cause her to wonder why she bought it and how it managed to get published in the first place.

At her stop she walked off the train with many others, passed quickly out of the gate and up the stairs.  Once on the street, she walked to the corner and crossed.  Almost out of habit, she stopped at the coffee shop on the corner and ordered a medium coffee of the day.  After paying she found herself back on the street, dreading her day at the office.  She pulled her phone out of her bag and dialed her office.  The receptionist answered. 

“Good morning, Clay Designs, how may I direct your call?”

“Morning Sara it's Mira.  How are you?”

“Hi Mira, well and yourself?”

“Oh, I'm not actually feeling that well and I think I'm going to head back home.  Will you please let people know that I will not be in today?”

“Feel better and we'll see you tomorrow.”

“Thanks Sara.”

She hung up wondering what to do with her newly free day.  She turned and walked back toward the subway, smiling.