By (Somewhere near Kraków, Poland – Budapest to Warsaw – Thursday, January 20, 2022.)
Ever, in a fleeting moment, caught a glimpse of someone, that you wish for it to last forever? Alas, the moment passes, your destination arrives, and you exit the train from separate doors, moving away from each other… forever.
You sit, completely unaware of the feelings that will overcome you in a short while. Unaware, in a bubble of blissful painless uncomplicated ignorance.
Head bobbing to the sound of music, hands holding onto the last bite of the sandwich and face looking out the moving train’s window, looking past the views…into a place far off.
Suddenly, softly, someone makes their way into your private cozy compartment. Slightly irritated with losing your extra leg space, and anxious seeing a foreign silhouette around, your hand makes its way for your headphones — your rejection of socializing — in your bag, only for your clumsy self to drop your water bottle.
You hopelessly lose it under the seats. It makes you even more uncomfortable. You try to ignore; the bottle and the being. Finally, unable to sit still, you ask them if they can help get the bottle from under their seat.
They hand it to you. You say, “thanks.” They acknowledge with a hearty smile and some muffled words in a thick Polish accent. And you go back to listening to music.
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The moment goes on.
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Some random searching in the bag. They pull out a weird-looking purple bag thing, and look at it strangely, half thinking, half piling up the courage to proceed on the thoughts. Turning to you, they ask if you understand what the thing in their hands was.
Apparently, a shopkeeper gave it to them on a purchase of cosmetics for their cousin (unnecessary details to build context and maybe some necessary clarity). You try to decipher the purpose of the bag and the talk.
(Excuses; escapes.)
You fail at figuring out the thing(s). You give up and joke that the shopkeeper had given it to them since they too must not have been able to figure it out. You both laugh… your eyes staring into each other for a little bit too long, for a little bit too deep.
You put on the headphones again and escape, again. They are too hot. How could they be interested in somebody like you, so plain? But the sheepish stares continue through the reflections on the darkened window.
Another passenger enters. They request their seat. Guy gets up and makes their way closer to you, sitting right beside you — closer. You with your headphones, them on their Kindle, comfortable in the silence, in the proximity, hearts however beating ever so loud. Alive.
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The moment goes on.
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You let your bodies relax, not so concerned about leaning too close to each other.
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The moment goes on.
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And the destination is not anywhere close. An announcement in a foreign language makes its way through the rail speaker. You ask them and they translate.
There’s been a delay, Warsaw central is some 20 minutes away still.
You tell them how you’re tired, “We have been traveling for the last 12 hours.”
(Gives a tired smile.)
They ask, “Are you going to Warsaw?”
You nod.
Their body turns left, towards you, a bit more.
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The moment goes on…in silence and butterflies.
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And finally, the destination arrives.
They help you with your luggage.
Words are left unsaid. They are best left unsaid (aren’t they?).
You get separated by the incoming sea of passengers.
No names exchanged, no contacts gained, masks on your faces most of the time, identities firmly concealed.
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The moment is lost.
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And you simply tread on with a bittersweet memory of a brief love.