“Priority Seating” (Part Two-Final)

“Priority Seating” (Part Two-Final)

Copyright 2016 R.B.Bailey Jr

All Rights Reserved

Sam started praying to himself that this little girl gets off at the next stop, or just shuts up for awhile.
There was an announcement over the PA, then the train slowly started moving again.
“Great! We’re movin’…” Sam started to say, but the little girl’s glare stopped him cold.
The little girl kept staring at Sam with a very angry look on her face…no more words ever came out.
Just a little small, knowing smile.
Lulled by the squeaking of the plastic straps against their poles, and the gentle sway of the train, Sam drifted back off into a deep sleep this time.
His last image of the girl was her brown, angry eyes glaring at him through her disheveled hair.
Sam was dreaming about seeing his family for the first time in two years, when he heard alot of commotion on the train, and woke up.
The train had stopped again, and this time, rescue workers were taking some old lady off the train on a gurney.
He saw the little girl again…her and her mom were following the gurney off of the train.
Her grandma did get hurt when the train came to a sudden stop.
This time, the little girl had tears in her eyes, as she looked over at Sam-Sensei.
Her eyes weren’t filled with anger this time…only hurt.
“I’m really sorry…” Sam tried to tell the little girl, but she didn’t hear him.
“You should be ashamed!!” The pregnant lady scolded him, then turned her back to him.
Sam knew that there was nothing he could do, so he tried to forget about it and go back to sleep.
A moment later, the little girl came back and whispered something in his ear.
His eyes opened wide in horror…because he knew she was right.
“NOOOO!” Sam yelled out loud, jumping up, taking a quick glance upward and starting pushing and shoving his way through the packed commuters.
The pregnant lady took the now empty seat, next to the elderly ladies.
Thinking it would be faster, he decided to step off the train and run down the platform to the car he was on before.
Just as he was about to step back on, the doors closed.
Already behind schedule, the train conductor blew his whistle and the train slowly eased on its way to Narita Airport Station…without Sam-Sensei.
Feeling sick, Sam takes a seat on the platform, to figure out what to do next.
He sat down in an orange seat…of all colors.
With all the commotion, the man in the orange knit hat was wide awake…and gave a small wave to Sam, as the train pulled away.
He offered his seat to the next person who really needed it, several stops ago.
Even though it wasn’t a priority seat.