Is This Seat Taken?

I stand on the crowded platform, waiting for my train to arrive. I hear above me, “A train toward downtown will arrive shortly.” I grab my backpack and rush to the edge of the platform. The train rushes in so fast that I can feel the air across my face. I approach the doors as they open. I think to myself, this cart is very crowded. I walk in and look around to see if I can find an empty seat. I spot one on the far left near the window. Unfortunately, a rather heavier-looking guy guarded it. He sat slanted with his arms crossed. I hesitantly approached him and said, “Is this seat taken?” He said, “No”. He stood up and moved aside to let me in. I can’t lie I felt a little claustrophobic, but at least I wasn’t standing. I begin to look around the cart to notice the passengers on this train.

I notice a young beautiful lady in a suit who looks like she is possibly on her way to work. She had long brunette hair, a beautiful face, green eyes, and a very nice shape. She is constantly checking her watch as if she is pressed for time. She then pulls out her phone and begins strolling through it. It looks like a Blackberry. I then see her reach into her briefcase to pull out a stack of papers. She begins frantically searching through them. She looks at her watch again. I begin to think to myself, I bet she is a businesswoman who is preparing for a meeting. She looks very nervous.

I then begin to look around the cart to find a male standing, holding the rail to stay level. This young man had a backpack, which appeared to be very full. He would look down every so often at his iPod, I am guessing he was changing songs or something. Suddenly, he begins to bop his head in a rhythm-like motion. I think to myself, “That must be a very good song. I wonder what it is.”

Moving on, I scan the rest of the cart only to find a bunch of high schoolers being rowdy and loud. One guy was standing in the middle of the circle of friends dancing and making weird motions. I think to myself, “It must be nice to be young. No worries, no bills, just fun.” All of a sudden we got to the next stop, the guy who sat next to me, rushed up and ran out of the cart. I think the stop was Crenshaw. I think to myself, “At least I can spread out.” The train starts moving again. Then suddenly, it comes to a screeching halt. I get thrown over to the empty seat next to me. Then, I hear on the intercom, “This train has faced an equipment failure, we will address it and be moving shortly. Sorry for the inconvenience.”

I noticed the beautiful businesswoman really panic and look down at her watch. I think to myself, “She must be running late. I wish I could say something to calm her nerves, but she is a stranger, a beautiful stranger at that.” Then the most random thing happened! She gets up, gathers her paperwork, and approaches the empty seat next to me. She asks hesitantly, “Is this seat taken?” I answer, “No, please have a seat.” She takes a seat, but still appears to be anxious. I ask her, “You look rather anxious. I noticed you across the train earlier, may I ask why are you so rattled?” She replies, “This has been a very weird morning. My company has faced a major PR (Public Relations) scandal due to a product recall. I was asked at the last minute to pitch an effective PR strategy to the Board of Directors.” She continues…”To top it off, my computer broke down, my car is being detailed and I had to be in Midtown 30 minutes ago.” I look at her with great compassion in my eyes because I begin to see why she is so rattled. I ask, “Is there anything I can say to make this day go any smoother for you?” Just as I say that, the train jerks and begins to move forward. She hesitantly replies, “I wish you could. I am getting off at the next stop, wish me luck!” We slowly approach the “Crane” stop. She grabs her stuff, but just before she gets off, I ask her, “Why did you come sit next to me?” She replies, “You looked like you were curious about me from across the train, and after all, the seat was empty.” She laughs and waves goodbye as she approaches the door. I watched her leave. My heart dropped. In disbelief, I asked myself, “Did she really see me watching her?” I wonder who she was? Why didn’t she tell me her name? Will I ever see her again? I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful her smile was.

The seat next to me is now empty again.  My mind begins to wonder, “Who was that woman?” I begin to pick my brain for clues. I vaguely remember glancing at her phone. It was a Blackberry with a red gel case. I wonder, “Did I see any clues on the papers she was reading?” I saw an outline of a PowerPoint presentation. The slide she was studying had a pie chart with percentages on it. I didn’t get a chance to notice exactly what they represented. Wait, I thought! “I think I saw a logo on her bag. Maybe a blue circle? I wonder what company has a blue logo?” I begin to feel a sadness that I have never felt. This stranger has taken over my thoughts. I am practically obsessed with her and I don’t even know her. I kick myself for not asking her name. I didn’t want to come off too forward. I figured, if she wanted me to have her name, she would have given it to me.

I became so distracted by the possibility that this woman could be the one that fate hand-delivered to me. I look out of the window and notice that we were at my stop. I quickly gather my belongings and rush out of the doors just as they were closing. I grab a quick seat on the platform to gather my belongings. I notice a paper that wasn’t mine; it looked like the handwriting of a woman. Could this be the handwriting of my mystery woman? I analyze her writing, but on the back, I noticed a number scribbled in red. “212-555-9090.” I pull out my cell and I call it. The phone rings and rings, then it says, “The number you have reached is no longer in service.” I sit for a moment in complete disbelief. I missed her again. Guess fate wasn’t on my side with this one.

Another day passes, and I can’t stop thinking of this woman. I decided maybe a run would take my mind off of her. I get up and put on my clothes. I rush to the door. I ran through the park as usual. I get to the middle of the path and bend down to rest on my legs. I look over at the other runners. I zero my attention on the woman stretching. She appeared on my right side. All I can see is the side of her face. But, she looked familiar. I could spot that face a mile away. I walk over to her and say, “Haven’t I seen you somewhere?” She says, “Yes…”