Dear Boston,
When I picture you in my head, I always envision the Green Line crawling down Commonwealth in between all the hustle and bustle of the city. You’re iconic. The picture in my head wouldn’t be right without you there.
You must know that whenever you don’t need the T or have nowhere to be 3 T’s will show up back to back but the moment it’s raining or 20 degrees outside or you’re running late for an important presentation the T will be running 20 minutes behind. The T will run express when you have nowhere to be or perhaps when you really have somewhere to be and need to get off on one of the stops they’re skipping.
You see your fate really lies in the hands of the T driver. They are super human doing at least 3 jobs at once. They also hold an immense amount of power…you haven’t lived until you’ve sprinted down the street trying to catch the T and the moment you reach the door is the moment the driver decides to just pull away. The nice T drivers will hold the door open and wait for you which will make your day. If you’ve ridden the T enough, you know the lecture a person will get when they swipe without enough funds…you also know it usually ends with get on and make sure to reload your card next time.
You can tell exactly how long someone has been in Boston by whether they cling to the poles for dear life or whether they can walk smoothly throughout the train as it jerks away to the next stop. Lifetime Bostonians with gray hair can stand perfectly still, not the slightest hint of a sway, read the paper with ease and not look up the entire ride, regardless of the erratic nature of the T.
In my wallet, I still carry my T card with 2 rides left on it in great anticipation of my next trip to Boston. You see life is a lot like the T. Sometimes we feel like we’ve missed the train. Sometimes we feel like we are waiting on something that’s never coming. Sometimes we love our fellow passengers. Sometimes we find their speakerphone habit annoying. And sometimes we just have to enjoy the ride. 🚊
May your T always arrive on time,
Molly