Misadventures on the metro

chapter 5

Every time I travel I pack at least five pairs of shoes. If my excursion is longer than a weekend, I take more. Even if I know the exact agenda for my trip and it consists of baking cookies with mom, watching football with dad and remaining a hermit in my pajamas for two days, I still take the shoes. What if I have to rush someone to the hospital and need decent running shoes? What if I’m invited to a last-minute dinner party and need my satin slingbacks? What if I buy a new outfit that would look perfect with my black kitten heels? What if…what if…what if?

Fortunately when I pack my many shoes, I can usually sit on the suitcase and force the zipper until it closes. Such is not true on the Metro. Yes, you can pack a lot of people into the cars. No, you cannot sit on the door and push until everything fits. More than once this morning the driver announced the train wouldn’t move until all the doors shut. And the doors wouldn’t shut until everyone and everything was out of the way.

What have we learned? Metro cars are not suitcases waiting to be stuffed full of shoes. And no, I will not move to the middle of the car just so you can be smashed between the doors and delay my train while the driver reminds you of this. Oh, and can you please move over, you’re leaning on my suitcase.