Train Delay, The Twenty-first week of the Second Year in the New Abnormal

The Q train came to a halting stop. An announcement immediately came on asking “Who pulled the emergency cord?” At the end of our car, a good citizen thinking there was a request to pull the cord, got up from her seat, pulled the cord, even as the train stood idle. She sat back down returning to her book. A hardcover, old school, though she looked barely 25.

I was slightly annoyed to have my short trip home delayed. We were in-between the Union Square and 34thStreet stops. The tunnel between the stops is a mile of tracks and darkness. The lights were on in the train. As I looked around I saw eyes meeting strangers’ eyes, a rare occurrence in the subway. Seated neighbors started to talk. I remained quiet, looking to see if anyone was panicking. Surprisingly, everyone was in a good mood and remained calm. Perhaps that had more to do with it being 9:30 pm on a Friday night, the start of a three-day weekend.