Quarantine

Dear Fellow Commuters, I Miss You?

How have you been?

Photo by Corey Agopian on Unsplash

I can’t believe this, but I think I’ve missed you, my fellow commuters.

I was so used to starting and ending my day with you all. Sure, a few of you were occasionally annoying. Some of you slowed us down just as the train pulled in, unearthing your Charlie cards deep in your belongings just as you got to the turnstile. Some of you splayed across a seat, or banged me with your backpack, as we all huddled around the same metal post seeking stable footing. But most of you were just going along, minding your business, courteously getting where you had to be.

I rarely exchanged words with any of you, but I started to recognize a number of you.

Some of you were stylish, and I appreciated the morning fashion show you provided, as we made our way along the same grubby stairs and sat on the same stained seats. There were those of you who didn’t use ear buds, and blared your music, serving as the defacto DJ of our rides. A few of you absolutely loved your speaker phone option, so I involuntarily learned things about your lives as you yelled your conversations, enlightening others about what you were eating for dinner. Some of you intently read books, your eyes never lifting from the page. Several of you fervently, wordlessly, typed away on…