a missed encounter

Driving back was a torturous, never-ending line of stop signs and red lights--one after the other. I raced the clock back... but accidentally turned too soon and found myself lost. After dead-ended streets, many stop signs, and pitch-black neighborhoods, I finally found myself headed the right way. Excitement burst inside me, and I sped up.

Got there, threw my car into a parking space, and hurried in. I needed a ticket to get up, so I fumbled a bit with the ticket machine until it printed a clean white one for me. I dashed up the stairs and scanned the empty platform. Across the tracks, only unknown faces studied me in indifferent puzzlement.

More disappointing than the events that had occurred earlier, more disappointing than the disappointment I had in myself ... was trying so hard to, but not finding, the person for whom I was searching.

I trudged back down the stairs, slipped my ticket back into the feed, and was promptly hailed by the ticket agent. He fixed my ticket for me, instructed me to exit through the emergency exit, and cautioned me to be safe walking around outside. A kind soul...