It was a very cold night. Most of New York was either in their warm homes or the even warmer local bars.
I, on this particular night was roaming in the subway. I don't recall what was the late night call in the office about but I remember it was almost the last train I had caught.
On this particular station called Broad Channel, I decide to get down. Before you wonder what a 25 year old young man would wanna do on a lonely station, let me offer you the explanation itself. Yep, I'm a loner and a writer upon that. It's very normal of a behaviour of mine for the people who know me, to chase a thought. I often switch my realms from reality to imaginary. This was one such venture.
I brought out my cigarettes and started smoking. The background was a distant rumble of the train that just left slowly, leaving the primary source of annoyance as my own feet. I knew there wasn't going to be another one and this calm was what my brain craved all day. I halted the sound of my feet.
It was after a while when I saw through the smoke another passenger on a bench. Don't tell me a man can't have peace even here, after the last train? Oh man. I was annoyed.
I move closer towards the bench. She notices me with a sudden gasp.
"What the hell are you doing here, I'll call 911 right now!" she warned me.
I showed my hands up. "Don't worry they don't want me." I said calmly. I kept walking towards her after the little awkward pause.
As I moved closer I noticed her pointed little nose. Her hair were blond, covered with a stylish red beret hat. Her face almost hidden by the collars of her long coat was fair and her lips were a perfect red. She was slim and was very pretty indeed. She was most probably a model judging by her flawless makeup. She wore high boots.
She kept looking at me suspiciously as I sat next to her on the bench.
"So, one of the prettiest woman I've ever seen, at night, all alone in a subway station and knowing the last sub has left. What's your story madame?" I smiled.
"I wouldn't know if I'd be sharing it with an obvious office worker roaming around late at night, probably having missed his train and now smoking while he plans his next move when he sees a pretty lady alone and swoops in." she almost hisses back.
She's holding her smile so hard from her own smart talk. She must believe I'm taken aback. I smile presently.
"My name's Josh and you seem like a Alice or something? No?" I continue the game.
"Ashley actually." She shakes my hand in the most queen-like manner ever.
"Hi Ashley, I am a writer actually and I am very curious about your story. It's one of the rarest I'm sure. It's a cold Saturday night and it's very late, you were the last person I'd have expected to find. Not that I wanted to, but..." she cuts me.
"Alright, I believe you. So you wanna know my story to like write or what?" she looks at me.
"Yes indeed, I live off stories and I could do anything for a good one." I proclaim.
"Hmmm, well we'll see about that." she think for a bit, looks at me head to toe then starts.
"This is my routine station. My boyfriend, well I should be calling him my ex now, lives nearby. I had come to visit him. Simple. Not your peculiar little story Mr. writer." She looks at me again. She has very pretty eyes.
"Oh. I am so sorry, you guys just broke up?" I am seriously concerned.
"Well...yeah. He had called me over tonight. I got to his home a little early and caught him cheating on me with his neighbour. I left without saying anything, he doesn't even know I saw him." She keeps looking down and clears a lump in her throat.
"Uhm..." as I am about to console her, she cuts me again.
"You seem like a sane guy, tell me do you have a girlfriend?" she inquires.
"Uhmm, not really.." I lift my shoulders.
"Well suppose you have one okay? And you catch her cheating on you with someone one day. Do you think you can ever be okay with that? Ever?" her tone went up several notches at the end.
"What I think is that, it depends on how much I love her. I mean cheating is sure the worst of the cases, but in general when you love someone then you almost involuntarily forgive them always. That being said, I wouldn't know about it much since I usually observe people and not be a part of them." I tell her.
"Bullshit, you are being too polite. He's a son of a bitch, oh God I'll kill him if I ever saw him again!" she grabs my knee.
"Well yes, the fact remains that once caught cheating even when forgiven, the relationship goes downhill in 99% of the cases." I try to calm her wits.
She keeps looking at me furious eyes, her brain obviously rendering slowly what I just said. Her hold on my knee weakens.