Traveling today was far less painless than I had expected it to be. I had anticipated needing to make flawless transitions among bus, subway, and train, in order to arrive at Rockville Centre at a reasonable time. Megabus’ stop had changed, since I last traveled from New York in October and was supposed to be farther from Penn Station, where I needed to be. Fortunately, the bus arrived remarkably early, even with a long layover in Hartford, and I didn’t even have to navigate the subway because Penn Station just happened to be only four blocks away.
It felt wonderful to be outside in the warm, fresh air, or as fresh as you can get in New York City, after being stuck in the congested bus for hours. I didn’t even feel particularly anxious as I wandered Penn Station, following the signs for the Long Island Railroad. However, I did feel a twinge of nervousness, once I had purchased my train ticket with no indication as to where I should go next. I approached the ticket counter to inquire about where I should board, and was instead directed to the information desk at the end of the row of windows. Throughout my trip planning with Google Maps, the only trains that ever appeared to be traveling to Rockville Centre were Babylon trains, so I was rather confused when I was directed towards a track with a train bound for a final destination of Massapequa Park, especially with a Babylon train waiting on the adjacent track. I decided to just trust the information desk guy and boarded the Massapequa train.
I was struck by how spacious, clean, and cool the train was in comparison to the subway. Even the lobby of the station had been far stuffier. But here, there was climate control and people weren’t crammed together, looking miserable. It seemed as if it would be a pleasant enough ride. I sat down with two gentlemen in a cluster of four seats with one bag sitting in the adjacent seat, as the overhead rack was far too near the ceiling to fit any bags. The train’s first stop just so happened to be Rockville Centre, as we were only passing through Jamaica Station.
I was also very grateful that my dad had insisted on me taking his cell phone with me, so that I was easily able to inform my friend which train I had made it onto and locate her once I arrived, since there were several directions, in which I could start walking. I haven’t seen her in years, but we’ve kept in touch through e-mail, Facebook chat, and the occasional phone call. It felt like we just picked up where we left off. I love that feeling, when there’s no awkwardness, no need to get to know the person all over again, and instead, you just resume.
She took me out to dinner at a Greek restaurant near the train station that she and her sister frequent quite regularly. The waitress knows her by name and quite possibly knows what she orders by now as well. I couldn’t figure a way to eat my lamb gyro to keep it in one piece, so I opted to use the fork and knife. Hunger had caught up with me finally, as I’ve had little appetite over the past couple of days due to nerves, and I polished off the entire meal. Even now, hours later, I still feel rather content.
After dinner, we raced back to the Lakeview Public Library, where my friend works, for the knitting class that she was scheduled to teach. A handful of women showed up, eager to continue with the past few weeks of lessons. For most, this was the only time that they had to do anything for themselves, away from family and work. One woman was ecstatic to have made something with her own hands, even if it was slightly deformed and holy, where she had dropped several stitches. I didn’t remember how to cast on, so my friend started me off and I spent the evening plugging along with twenty stitches back and forth on the needles. It was quite relaxing and I make good progress with a more professional looking knit than my first and only piece at home.
Later, we spent our last couple of hours together chatting over tea, before heading for the airport.
No comments:
Post a Comment