The Subway Ride
The mood in the subway is chilling. People sparsely gather in handfuls and stand by their corners. They watch each other, cautiously, and wait to see who is reckless. The tension is high and no one is talking to each other. The train arrives a couple minutes late and people board the car one person at a time.
Nobody interacts even inside the train. They cast glances cautiously and allow the atmosphere to hold. One small boy is sitting in the corner by the car door. Most people are indifferent, and some just pass by with a glance. The boy doesn’t mind because he’s concentrated on a deck of cards. Everyone is jerked forward slightly, when the train doors close, and the slow train crawls with a shriek.
It’s quiet, inside the train. The rivets vibrate and the subway car sways back and forth distinctively. Everyone stands supported and the boy is the only person sitting in his corner. His mind is concentrated on a pack of cards and he’s shuffling them in his tiny hands. He’s absorbed by the action and he doesn’t notice the woman moving close to him. She’s old and slightly dishevelled, but her dressing is respectable for a woman her age. She notices the boy’s indifference and moves closer. He drops a card and she picks up.
“Here,” she says.
The boy takes the card and slowly shifts his gaze to the deck. He’s compelled to.go back to his game, but she's compelled to ask his name. Her voice is muffled by the mask she’s wearing over her face.
“What’s your name, dear friend?”
The boy continues as if nothing happened. The woman is slightly moved and she looks around to see who is looking. Everyone in the car is starring and waiting to see her reaction.
“Did anyone come with this boy?”
No response comes through. They look at each other and merely shake their heads. She’s quickly drawn to the kid and smiles. In a moment, she's drawn to be kind to the boy. She picks up her phone and dials a number.
“It’s going to be alright son, ok?”
The sun is setting. Different shades of purple and orange careen the penthouse wall and look like a giant art piece. A woman is sitting on the nice, comfortable settee and spreads her legs across the table. She is watching a TV show and slowly rolling strands of hair around her finger. She picks up the last slice of cheesecake and changes the channel. Two old ladies are wearing pajamas and they talk about the medicine they are wrestling with.
“The doctor said you should take one pill, Martha! Let me give you some.”
“Let me go you old hag. I don’t even like the doctor anyway!”
The old woman is feisty and hilarious. She could be the star of the show, but the woman in the settee doesn’t wait to realize that. She changes the channel again and the news channel appears with a slim, white anchor brushing the paper in his hands before taking his eyes off of it. His hair is gleaming with hairspray and a clean white t-shirt aligns perfectly with his tidy suit.
“Breaking news!” he spoke, “There’s a report coming from a downtown subway in St. Louis. A kid reportedly found this morning has tested positive for the H9N9 virus. It's been a couple weeks since the virus has been declared over, but the President will be holding a press briefing shortly to discuss what is likely the second wave of this deadly virus…”
