I sat at Lindbergh Center Station, waiting on a southbound train when a soft-spoken man with a duffel bag approached me.
He: The board up there says next Lindbergh train in 11 minutes ... where's the Airport train?
Me: Sometimes the trains don't register on the board. The next Airport train could be here in two minutes or twenty minutes.
He: Oh.
He walked around for a while but I plugged my headphones back into my ears if for nothing else but to avoid any crazy ranting (he seemed the type). He waved me down again, however, and I removed my earbuds.
He: Do you happen to have sixty cents? I'm on my way down to Grady and was hoping I could stop into McDonald's for a cheeseburger.
Me: I think I have a quarter.
I pulled the wad of shelving pins from my back pocket, sifted past my house key and plucked the quarter from the mess. He was grateful and I awaited the usual "God bless you" response. Instead, he looked at me, thanked me and:
He: Don't go so fast. Go slow.
As the southbound train arrived and breezed by me, he reiterated his words, walking away backward. "Go slow. Go slow."
Me: I'll try.
What kind of portent have I been issued?
2 comments:
do you REALLY walk everywhere?
I didnt get it... why the: "go slow" thing?
Do I really walk everywhere? Maybe the better way to phrase it is that I don't drive. But I do walk a lot. My travel time anywhere is usually 85 - 90% walking.
As far as the "go slow" -- I wish I knew. It makes me a little scared.
~ nick
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