The Last Stop…

“The Last Stop.” I’d never seen that message on the train’s destination board before. Maybe because I never ride to the end of the line.

This morning, I’m not sure I’ll be riding the train at all. Leaving the house four minutes late, I’ll have to jog at least a third of the way to the station to make up time. On the overpass that crosses the rail line, I can see quite a way down the tracks, and don’t see headlights, so I probably have sufficient time to slow to a walk. (Sometimes they trick me and run without lights, but they usually have them on.)

At the station, we wait. And wait. The next train going the other direction comes through. Not a good sign. Still no headlights down the tracks.

How long can I wait before trekking back to the house to get the car? Of course, I’ll have to find a place to park away from the office, since first-of-semester college traffic will tie up the roads near the campus and make for a very long drive.

The train finally comes, making alternate scenario calculations moot. Of course, since there was a missing train in the interim, this one’s twice as full as usual. I rarely sit down on the train anyway, preferring to stand, but usually have space to lean against something. Not this trip. I figure we are half as packed as a Tokyo subway train. Don’t know how they do it. (Yes, I do – they employ “pushers” to shove people onto the train.)

The doors close. I glance at the destination board. It briefly flickers “Meadowview” (uh-oh – the wrong direction) then says “The Last Stop” before shutting down altogether.

“Not a good sign,” I say, getting a nervous smile from the woman next to me. The audio system (“the next stop is…”) also shuts down. At least the air conditioning is working. So far.

Without stop announcements, the train is unnaturally quiet, even though there are many more people than usual aboard. We cruise along in silence, doors opening and passengers readjusting at each station. It occurs to me that wherever a person gets off the train, that stop, for them, is the last stop.