I need them to see

I had to walk to 8th avenue again. The D was running on the A track again. The rain stopped, and I also stopped to take a deep breath, filling my lungs with my favorite aroma. I love the after rain smell, the smell of the rain hitting the dry pavement.


I hung up on Francis, ending our long conversation that should be saved for the road trip. Topics like loneliness and memories shouldn't be discussed at 2 in the morning with 952 miles between us.

Once I wobbled down the stairway towards the turnstile, the D train arrived. I can't believe this normal occurrence made me so happy. The D train arrives all the time, but the fact that it came right as I entered the station makes me believe in miracles. It won't take me an hour to get home tonight.

There was a young man, I presume in his late twenties, tall, dirty blond curly hair. He reminded me of a skinnier Seth Rogen. From the corner of my eye, it looked like he was tying his shoes, or putting on his shoes. I stared ahead, and there were three other people, sleeping. I liked how they were all evenly spaced apart. I walked past the man fiddling with his shoe and sat three seats away from him. I had to make sure I was keeping with the trend of keeping a good space between me and the next passenger.

I took out my Trader Joe's bag of onion chips. I forgot to take my thirty minute break at work. I really was enjoying them until I saw the man with the shoes walking towards me. I kept munching, this time aggressively, with chips falling on my lap. I was trying to scare him off.

"Where did you get your glasses?"

Really, sir? At this time? "Korea," I said.

"I really like them. I ordered a pair like that online."

I kept eating.

"You know, I just googled the glasses place. It's probably from Korea. It looks a lot like yours."

 The train was running local and I couldn't stand having a conversation with a stranger about glasses for the next thirty minutes. I stopped eating, placed the bag in my tote bag, and smiled.

"This is 59 street," said the conductor in a whisper.

"Well, you have a good night." The man with the shoes and new glasses walked away from me, toward the opened doors.