It's kind of a long story
I love complaining about the metro, mostly because it's such an easy target. You can always find something to bitch about, whether it be late trains or slow buses or even tourists who stand on the left. But sometimes, like this morning, you really have no one to blame but yourself.
I took my car in to be serviced early this morning. Luckily, the dealership has a shuttle to the metro, but the stop it deposits us to is five stops further out than my usual. Still, it was only 8 a.m. so I figured I'd still be early.
For some reason, two stops away from Metro Center--where I change trains--I had a sudden urge to get off and walk the rest of the way. But as passengers crowded first off and then back on again, I stayed in my place, clutching at the handrail and trying vainly to finish my crossword puzzle.
I should have listened to my gut. At Metro Center, I plodded off the train and walked up to stand on the red line platform. Four minutes to the next train, it told me. Four quickly stretched into five, into six, and then the numbers began disappearing from the board.
Shit, I thought, a mechanical problem.
I abhor getting onto crowded trains, particularly during the morning rush hour (on a Monday, no less) when everyone's grumpy and surly and it gets hot and claustrophobic and suddenly you can't breathe and WILL YOU STOP TOUCHING ME, PLEASE and ... well, you get the picture. So I decided to take the train back two stops and walk the rest of the way, as I initially thought I should.
I headed back down to the escalators just as they were making the announcement of the delay. Smugly, I sneaked my way through the crowds. I was beating the metro. I headed back up the escalators just as the train was pulling up to the platform, and managed to slip in just before the doors closed. I took a deep breath, enjoying my personal space. Two stops, I thought, and then I get off.
Except the next stop wasn't where I wanted to go. As I was congratulating myself on my brilliant maneuver, I had gotten onto the wrong train. And now I was still on the red line, instead of the orange or blue, and one stop FURTHER from where I had been before.
Sigh.
I grumbled in my head, cursing my stupidity. As I got off the train, I looked across the tracks. Sure enough, the other side was miserably packed. Grumpily, I stalked up the escalator to walk over a few blocks and get on again back at Metro Center.
And it was HOT. Hot enough to melt your lotion right off your legs. It did not improve my mood.
One block from the metro entrance, I saw a familiar face: David, a guy who had worked briefly in our office. Though he didn't stay long, he was well known by everyone as one of the friendliest guys with an unbelievably sunny attitude. I smiled.
As I waved and walked over to him, he gave me a big bear hug. "What are you doing all the way over here?" he asked me. Embarassed, I laughed. "It's kind of a long story," I said.
We chatted briefly, and then he carried back on his way and I on mine, this time, with a smile on my face. Walking down to the train, I saw the crowds had eased. I hopped back on the red line without a hostile thought in my head.
Yeah, it kind of is a long story, but sometimes, those long stories take you in even better directions.
I took my car in to be serviced early this morning. Luckily, the dealership has a shuttle to the metro, but the stop it deposits us to is five stops further out than my usual. Still, it was only 8 a.m. so I figured I'd still be early.
For some reason, two stops away from Metro Center--where I change trains--I had a sudden urge to get off and walk the rest of the way. But as passengers crowded first off and then back on again, I stayed in my place, clutching at the handrail and trying vainly to finish my crossword puzzle.
I should have listened to my gut. At Metro Center, I plodded off the train and walked up to stand on the red line platform. Four minutes to the next train, it told me. Four quickly stretched into five, into six, and then the numbers began disappearing from the board.
Shit, I thought, a mechanical problem.
I abhor getting onto crowded trains, particularly during the morning rush hour (on a Monday, no less) when everyone's grumpy and surly and it gets hot and claustrophobic and suddenly you can't breathe and WILL YOU STOP TOUCHING ME, PLEASE and ... well, you get the picture. So I decided to take the train back two stops and walk the rest of the way, as I initially thought I should.
I headed back down to the escalators just as they were making the announcement of the delay. Smugly, I sneaked my way through the crowds. I was beating the metro. I headed back up the escalators just as the train was pulling up to the platform, and managed to slip in just before the doors closed. I took a deep breath, enjoying my personal space. Two stops, I thought, and then I get off.
Except the next stop wasn't where I wanted to go. As I was congratulating myself on my brilliant maneuver, I had gotten onto the wrong train. And now I was still on the red line, instead of the orange or blue, and one stop FURTHER from where I had been before.
Sigh.
I grumbled in my head, cursing my stupidity. As I got off the train, I looked across the tracks. Sure enough, the other side was miserably packed. Grumpily, I stalked up the escalator to walk over a few blocks and get on again back at Metro Center.
And it was HOT. Hot enough to melt your lotion right off your legs. It did not improve my mood.
One block from the metro entrance, I saw a familiar face: David, a guy who had worked briefly in our office. Though he didn't stay long, he was well known by everyone as one of the friendliest guys with an unbelievably sunny attitude. I smiled.
As I waved and walked over to him, he gave me a big bear hug. "What are you doing all the way over here?" he asked me. Embarassed, I laughed. "It's kind of a long story," I said.
We chatted briefly, and then he carried back on his way and I on mine, this time, with a smile on my face. Walking down to the train, I saw the crowds had eased. I hopped back on the red line without a hostile thought in my head.
Yeah, it kind of is a long story, but sometimes, those long stories take you in even better directions.
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