Chapter Text
Frank was exhausted. Of course he was exhausted. Anyone in their right mind would be exhausted under these same circumstances. He had just started his fourth year of med school, meaning that residency interviews were already well underway. He wanted to get ahead of the curve. He needed a strong position, but not the kind every MS4 always bragged about. Abby was pregnant.
Becoming a doctor was enough to signal being a real adult. No one looks at a doctor and thinks of them as irresponsible. But seeing her belly growing day by day scared him. He thought about the life waiting for him: finishing med school, starting residency, the demands of becoming a doctor, of being a husband, of being a father. These were milestones he had dreamed of, yes, but the weight of them now felt almost suffocating. He wasn’t sure he was ready.
It was like any other Wednesday evening. Except it wasn’t. He couldn’t tell you the last time it had been this hot, at the end of September no less. He could feel sweat running down his back, soaking into the once-crisp white dress shirt as he waited for the next train. This man wanted nothing more than to lie down (well, maybe a good scream, but that was neither here nor there), so when the train pulled up to the platform and he saw an empty car, he took full advantage of the miracle that was a Wednesday during rush hour.
He forcefully dropped his suit jacket and leather briefcase on a random seat before plopping himself down next to them. He rested his feet on the back of the seats in front of him, closed his eyes, rubbed his temples, and let out an admittedly dramatic sigh. Oh well, it’s not like there was anyone there to hear him.
Or so he thought.
As he opened his eyes, he noticed her. Sitting in the back corner, curled up in the seat, gazing out of the window to watch the world go by. She had earbuds plugged in, clearly enjoying whatever song she was listening to. Clearly she had had a long day herself, made evident by the way her glasses had smudged on the lens, her pink t shirt wrinkled, and her hair just barely falling out of a loose ponytail. Whatever happened to her today seemed to bring her to a place of comfort at the end of the day. Frank felt his shoulders relax for the first time all day.
He couldn’t hear the song. He couldn’t even begin to guess what song was playing. But the way she nodded her head and tapped the top of her phone with her index finger showed so clearly that she was living in this moment, in her world, and she was peaceful. Whatever song it was, it was something upbeat, quick-paced. Probably the type of song just a few years ago he would have been dancing to at any given party he was at. Frank didn’t think she was meaning to smile; rather, that was just the way her face rested naturally.
He had been staring longer than he should have. He didn’t even realize he was staring. Looking at her phone, her trance was broken. It was quick, only for a second. Maybe a text she would deal with later, or a meaningless Instagram notification. Who knows. Whatever it was caused her to look up for what would have been a split second. However, that second turned into two when she and Frank made eye contact. Her resting smile turned into an intentional one, acknowledging Frank for the human he was.
“It takes a special person to greet a stranger with such familiarity,” Frank thought to himself. He smiled back before pulling out his phone, for no other reason than to focus his attention on anything other than this young woman who was sunshine personified.
Minutes passed, maybe ten or so, before she got up and started walking toward the car door. Frank could see her moving in his periphery but made a point to focus on his phone.
“Excuse me,” she said with a quick tap on his shoulder. “Is this yours?” In her hand was his wallet. It must have fallen out when he grabbed his phone.
“Oh yeah. Thanks,” he responded casually, but with sincerity for her keen observation skills. He took it from her hand.
“No worries. It would really stink if you lost that. Anyway, have a good night.”
And with that, she stepped off the train and moved toward the escalator. Frank still had a few more stops to go, but suddenly, he felt grounded. A feeling he desperately needed.