Personal trainer Carl gets on just before the doors close and sits down next to me. Placing his gym bag in between his legs he pulls out his phone. Scrolling through text messages, he grins as he stops at one. It is from his girlfriend Claire. No, it is from his boyfriend Brad. They are off to Vegas to get married and the flights have just been confirmed.
Music teacher Betty gets up, straightens her collar and gets ready to leave. She looks tired. I'm not surprised. Her newborn baby kept her up for most of the night.
As I walk towards the doors, Pilot Michael catches me in his periphery and looks up momentarily. Our eyes meet. I can't help but wonder who he sees standing next to him; Tom the photographer? James the lifeguard? Rufus the undercover police officer?
We all have a story, each one perfectly unique and if we are lucky enough, we get to see the real person behind the mask.
These are wonderful imaginings. When my parents were dating (in the 1940s), they used to sit on the subway together and my father would make up stories (lives) for the people that got on and off the train. He never did it for me, but I loved the idea so much that I did it (and still do) for my learning-disabled brother. This brought back sweet memories.
ReplyDeleteThat's really lovely that they used to do that Mitch! And the fact that you now do it for your brother is beautiful. You are a kind-hearted gentleman indeed. Glad it brought back sweet memories.
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