The Train Ride

Mira lives in a small town. She works in a big city. Every Monday she takes the train. The train ride is long, but she likes it.

On Monday morning Mira runs to the station. She buys a coffee. She sits down on a bench and waits. The train comes at seven.

Mira knows the way well. She knows the bakery at the corner. She knows the woman at the ticket office. "Same seat as always?" the woman asks with a smile.

The train is full. Mira finds a seat next to a window. An old man sits down beside her. He smiles and says, "Good morning."

"Good morning," Mira says. She opens her book. The train leaves the station slowly. Outside she sees fields and small houses.

After twenty minutes the train stops. It stands on the track and does not move. The people look at each other. Nobody says anything.

Then a voice speaks. "We are sorry. There is a problem on the line. We wait here for thirty minutes."

Ten minutes go by. Then twenty. Some people stand up and walk in the corridor. A small boy asks his mother, "Is the train broken?"

Mira is worried. Her meeting starts at nine. She looks at her phone. "I miss my connection," she says quietly.

The old man hears her. "Where do you go?" he asks. "To Greenford," Mira says. "My meeting is there at nine."

"I take that bus every week," he says. "It is old and green. The driver is friendly. He always waits for late people."

The bus is warm and almost empty. Mira sits at the front and watches the road. She sends a short message to her boss.

"Then take the bus," the man says. "The bus stops in front of the station. It goes to Greenford too. It is slow, but it is safe."

Mira thanks him. At the next station she gets off and finds the bus. She arrives at ten past nine. Her boss smiles. "Trains again?" he asks. Mira laughs and says, "Trains again."