*Beep*
*Beep*
*Beep*
*Beep*
He could hear the subway train doors' indicator below as he walked down the escalator. He knew he would not be able to catch the train departing the terminal. He decided to slow his pace a little, but continued making his way down for the next incoming instead, which arrived just as he stepped off the escalator.
He moved to the tail-end where it was less crowded. With the ongoing pandemic, he chose to keep his distance from the others even though the government had implemented mandatory masking-up. Finding his sweet spot, he sat down and retrieved his mobile from one of the front compartments of his backpack while waiting for the train to move off; approximately in 5 minutes.
His thumb gently pressed the mobile screen. A few swipes of his fingers and another few touches before an app launched and he looked keenly at it. The only movement now were his eyes as they shifted from left to right and back repeatedly. He was probably reading something from his mobile.
As the indicator beckoned in the background signaling the train doors' closure, the young man would not be distracted from his handheld device. It had become a daily routine for him every morning while heading to the gym downtown.
The train departed on its intended journey and final destination.
Glancing up a moment to scan the carriage he was in, there were quite a few empty seats beside and opposite as the train shuttled to the next station. From an upright seated position, he leaned forward. His elbows resting on his thighs. It was a comfortable posture to adopt while continuing with his reading.
More commuters boarded the train and began filling the carriage at each subsequent station. From the corner of his eyes, he noted there were still empty seats available; some preferred standing near the doors. No one had moved towards the centre where he was seated. Perhaps they saw him leaning forward. Or maybe they would be getting off in the next few stations. Whatever the reasons, he was impassively nonchalant.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She barely made it inside the carriage with the train doors closing. She could not afford any further delay than she had already allowed. If she had missed this one, it her timeliness reporting to work would be tainted and perhaps questioned.
The morning rush was unbecomingly habitual. She could not recall when it first started but one time led to another until it became a weekly problem. At least 3 times in a week she had to rummage through her wardrobe and laundry basket to find her work attire which she swore she had prepared the day before.
Maybe the grains of time had finally caught up with her.
Scanning the area, she saw throngs of commuters at every turn of her vision. The carriage was packed like pre-pandemic days. She jostled her way through the hordes of bodies to get past.
"Sorry... coming through...", excusing herself apologetically as heads turned and eyebrows frowned. Her body inadvertently brushing against men and women, young and old alike. Her 34C bosoms pressing and swiping against rear and front torsos. Some gently, others firmly. It would have definitely perked up some of the male commuters' day, especially for the latter.
She thought nothing of it, just a daily grind of the morning peak period pushing and shoving to get some personal space. Especially not the sexual aspect of it, despite the hardening of her nipples through the cotton fabric of her brassiere.
Walking towards the tail-end carriage, she was surprised by the relatively quiet section compared to those in front. With a few empty seats to spare too. She strutted down the carriage aisle, wobbly at times as the train's zipped through the tunnel, catching secondary glances from some commuters with her graceful demeanor and poise.
Brushing the back of her skirt, she sat herself down. Opposite the young man who was still leaned over. Her legs tilted slightly at an angle to the left side as she settled down for her journey.
A pair of legs appeared directly in the young man's line of sight. His eyes stole a long glance, from the black leather wedge pumps the woman was wearing to the small of her ankles and up the length of her bare silky-smooth legs that stopped just above her knees. He returned to his reading but only for so long before the sight in front of him sidetracked his focus once again.
He made another attempt to look at the paragraph displaying on his mobile screen only to realise nothing was registering in his brain; merely alphabets and words that made no sense. He closed the app and decided to surf the web instead. Perhaps it might help, but after a minute or so his glance returned to the pair of legs in the black wedge pumps.
This time, he straightened himself upright to see whom these legs belonged that kept him insatiably distracted. He could not perceive much with her facial mask worn, other than her shoulder-length hair styled in a layered bob and almond eyes that were transfixed on her mobile phone screen. She was not much to look at. In fact, she looked ordinary. Average with another forgettable face in the crowd the young man had probably encountered countless times in his daily commute.
He studied her dressing next. Sky blue sleeveless blouse with a navy toned knee-length skirt, matched with a light blue Kate Spade Eva scarf handle medium satchel. She was wearing a pair of 3-inch Hush Puppies Bella Setti black wedge pumps.
Conservative and modest. Typical work attire of a working professional.
His eyes zoomed in on her upper arms. They did not look as tender and supple like the women in their 20s. They were firm and toned with years weathered in work and labour; maybe even taking care of children.
A mother, perhaps? He wondered.
He noticed a distinct color difference between her arms and her exposed lower legs; with the latter being neutral and fairer. "How does she keep her legs from the harsh UV exposure of the unforgiving sun?" the young man thought to himself.
His eyes went back to glance at her face again. She was still engrossed with her mobile to notice the man opposite of her. The longer he observed, the more he felt a growing fondness. Those almond eyes looked like they were about to pop out with her wide-eyed attention. He was beginning to be mesmerized by this woman (who seemed to be dressed for work) like a spell she had casted upon him the moment she appeared in his sight.
By now, the train was well on its journey and commuters were coming and going like clockwork.