On the “F” Train- Part 2

by betsy aaron

Still More Peeves

by betsy aaron

It bothers me when people refer to spring as summer and fall as winter. Can we not stay in the present season and enjoy the moment– or I am too grouchy?

On The “F” Train

by betsy aaron

It was the day before Halloween. A woman was tweezing her eyebrows, a feat I’d never before seen performed on a moving train, or anywhere else in public. The act itself was fascinating to observe but what I found truly amazing to witness was her nonchalance.

Directly across from me sat a man, who may have been a genius, who may have been homeless, who may have been a homeless genius, who reminded me of a writing student I’d once who had Asperger’s.

Then, a man boarded and announced that he had been a Vietnam Vet and that he needed our help. The man who might have had Asperger’s gave me what might have been a knowing look. The man who might have been a vet knew how to make us feel guilty. Now the man who might have had Asperger’s and I were united, not a condition I was seeking.

At the next stop, the man who might have been a vet exited. I felt bad. The man who might have had Asperger’s looked me in the eye and I looked back.

He got up to leave. As he stepped through the open doors, he winked at me. The woman who’d been tweezing appraised the job in her mirror and seemed satisfied.