Brief Encounter

The train was pretty crowded this morning, and there had been an earlier delay, so when it pulled into North Station the platform was pretty packed. As I squeezed out I had one of those moments where you try to maneuver around someone who moves in the same direction as you, and your brain tries to correct and move you back in the other direction but it's too late and the momentum keeps you moving on your original path.

So there was a little more contact than normal as I worked my way around a guy. As I headed toward the Green Line side of the platform I heard, "Hey...hey!" I started to wonder if he was upset about the contact I'd made (you never know what's going to cause someone to get upset), and the train was already pulling away so I stopped and turned around.

He reached out his hand toward me, but not in a threatening way. I looked down and saw that his white headphones were caught on one of my coat buttons. I looked back up and said, "Aw man, I'm sorry." He unhooked them from me, smiled, and turned back to try to board the train, but given the number of people waiting I doubt he was able to get on that one.