I started my day different than usual and dropped my girls off at school this morning. As I stood there with all the other parents waiting for the bell to ring I watched them play with the other kids. It was a cold morning but seeing how happy they were warmed my heart.
I then slipped into my normal routine and hopped aboard the c-train and headed for work. Being a little later than usual today the train was a different crowd, full of what I presumed to be university students. The kids around me chatted with their friends, listened to their iPods and just seemed to be enjoying their youth. My own kids were still fresh on my mind and I could envision this being them one day and it brought a smile to my face.
And then downtown this girl gets on the train. She's dressed just like most of the other youth but she's different. She tugs at her hoodie, she fidgets with her clothing, and she pulls at her hair. She flips back her hood and I get a good look at her face. It looks as though she hasn't slept in days and she looks wasted in a way that I've never seen, except in movies. But most of all she looks visibly scared, she looks terrified, and she seems extremely confused. As a father and as a decent human being I felt this overwhelming need to reach out to her. To see if she needed help, if nothing else to let her know she wasn't alone.
Two stations later as the train pulled away I stood on the platform for as long as I could see her. I stood there wishing I would have done something.
Somehow I was hoping that writing about it would help me feel better.
It doesn't.
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1 comment:
Nice writing, there was one image that really stood out for me, and I would suggest it as a title: "Standing on the platform wishing I had done something."
- jpb
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