7-8-08 end

Caught the train and made it home. Paid the late fee on my parking space because I didn't get a chance to pay this morning. Got to the parking lot as the train was pulling in.

There was a young girl (college age) alone at the station tonight as I was preparing to pull away and I paused to ask her if someone was coming for her.

"Someone's coming.", she said. "Be here in about 3 minutes."

She smiled. I waved and drove away. Young girl. Train station. Open area. Alone. Lots of wooded area.

I made it as far as the road before turning around. She saw me coming, of course. Young girl all alone, after all. Same truck left and came back. She'd crossed away from the light to stand in a bit more shadow. Walpole's not a dangerous town. In fact, it's a well-to-do haven of sorts where people still know their neighbors - but a oung girl alone at night is still a young girl alone at night and she stopped where she stood as I pulled back into the parking lot.

"I'm not a freak.", I said with the passenger side window sliding down. "I'm an ER nurse and I'm just gonna hang out 'til your ride shows up."

She smiled and said thanks. She was nervous. Of course she was. How could she not be?

I smiled back and pulled across the parking lot.

"I'm just gonna stay here until your ride shows up. Make sure you're OK.", I said again, trying to get that one point across. I felt it was important to get it out there again.

She felt good. She felt all right. I could see it in her face and then I felt good. That was a good thing to see. It's something I like to see.

I flicked on the lights in my truck and pulled the book I'm reading out of my bag - Duma Key by Stephen ing. Time began to tick away.

"Thank you again.", she said and I looked up from my book.

"You're welcome.", I said and we chatted.

She's in college. Studying autism and asperger's. Funny how that stuff works out. We had common ground.

I pulled across the lot so we didn't have to yell and we chatted for a few more minutes until her ride showed up.

I left then. Whatever I thought needed to be done was done.

- I remember this night and I remember how good it felt to help her feel at ease. The train station itself isn't very intimidating - but alone at night with a lot of open and wooded space, outside of the comforting bubbles of sporadic light on the platform, it can be pretty creepy. Or at least I can imagine it could be creepy. All it would take is one or more people walking along the track area when you're standing there alone. Drugs, alcohol whatever. Things can get bad quick if the conditions are right.

Anyway, despite her initial wariness to my return (a perfectly natural reaction given my physical presentation), the relief I saw and heard in her when she knew I was going to stay and meant her no harm was a human-reward. It made me feel good. It made me feel good in direct contrast to the excessive helpings of human misery and suffering I see every day at work. And I drove home with a smile on my face even though in the grand scheme of things, I really didn't do anything.