Monday Morning

Monday morning on the metro, the world is even more depressing than the rest of the week. Faces turned downwards, eyes looking inwards or focused on phones. The conversation is at best “Pardon” or “Excusez-moi” while pushing one’s way in or out.

I’m bopping a bit to the music I’m listening to, because there’s no room for a sway. At least I’m able to forget about the general state of sadness for a bit.

I hear a lady speak behind me. I look around and see that she’s not talking to anyone in particular. Like the rest of the people around me I’m assuming that she’s just one of the many a little bit crazy people on the metro.

She has me intrigued though.

She looks really classy and seems more joyful than the other people speaking to themselves and she’s definitely not trying to hide her speaking aloud. She looks around, she smiles and then she reaches out to a man in the middle of the car. She offers him a handkerchief.

I take my earbuds out. This is getting interesting.

The man looks embarrassed. How to get rid of the attention of this crazy woman quickly? He refuses apologetically. She insists. He refuses ones more and looks away. If he doesn’t see her, she isn’t there.

A young guy on the other side of me smiles big. She thanks him for reciprocating her joy.

I look at her and jokingly tell her that she sure is dealing with a tough crowd this morning. She bends over to me as to tell me a secret. “Next time” she says “I’ll have to prepare better”…

We both laugh. We both know.

She then announces to the crowd that this is her stop. She bows and thanks them for their attention. She tells them that she hopes she gave them a little bit of joy on this Monday morning and that she wishes them a happy day.  

As it’s my stop too we get off the metro together and walk out of the station together.

She tells me that she just couldn’t contain the JOY she was feeling in her heart. She had sung in a choir on Sunday and that it had left her feeling so happy that she just had to share her JOY with the world…

I wish I had a little bit more of her. I tell her. I thank her. We both go our own way… Monday morning on the metro!!!