And now for a short story inspired by an interaction I witnessed on BART. I love BART.
He boarded the train with his bike.
She sat there, a nervous wreck, iPod blaring, looking out the window, anything to distract her from the constant sensations and horrible thoughts caused by the panic attacks which had taken over her entire being, her entire life.
She was going to have to get off on the next stop, she had to, she could barely breathe. She would just have to tell them she couldn't make it today.
He sat down next to her.
"Great," she thought.
"Uhhh, I just noticed you were in your workout clothes. Why are you in your workout clothes going into the city?"
She looked up at him, was this guy for real?
"Just meeting some friends to go for a bike ride," she said, leaving her iPod on, hopefully he'd get the hint.
"Oh, yeah, I was just wondering why cause I had some friends that were going into the City for this protest, and I just thought....sorry, I'm hella stuttering, I don't know why, damn."
Awkward.
Yet she noticed that his conversation was distracting her and his company was somewhat comforting. She continued.
"Why are you going into the City?"
"Damn, I'm hella sorry, I ate this weed brownie last night, my boy said if you eat a weed brownie before you go to sleep you'll wake up feeling hella good...damn, do you have some candy or gum or somthing?"
She gives him some gum.
"Sorry, I just literally woke up an hour ago. Yeah, I'm going to go bike with my boys in the City...damn, you're eyes are hella bright. Are they always that bright?"
Awkward.
"Um, ha, yeah, I guess, uh..."
"Yeah, I don't know where we're going yet, I should call them."
He calls his friends, his volume on his phone is turned up so loud that the whole train can hear.
She is feeling better. She doesn't care if the whole train can hear, she is completely distracted, I mean, really, who wouldn't be.
"Yeah, I'm just staying at my Aunt's house right now, she is letting me and my six friends stay there for free..for six months, letting us party, she said we could fuck up the house, do whatever, so...I'm just saving hella money right now."
He was really good looking, dark blue eyes, mid 20's, nice smile.
"I'm a chef in Union City right now, I also do some modeling and commercials on the side..."
The boys in the two seats in front of them turn around.
"Hey, do you guys know any good art galleries in the City?"
This spawns a whole new batch of conversations which include the sharing of videos and artwork (three of the four turn out to be artists) shown on iPhones.
The next thing she knows, she is there, at her stop. She made it. No huge panic attack scene.
They all exchange names really quickly, she jumps off, the train takes off. It all happened so fast. She wishes she got to thank him, for something he didn't even know he did. He had saved the day, well, at least her day.
His name was Isaiah.
