"We are sorry to interrupt our regular service. One of our engineers is discovering an anomaly on the train tracks. Please be patient and remain calm, we are investigating."
The digital signboard in the station immediately turns a deep red for our line. The people around me are unperturbed. A baby starts to cry towards the left beyond our cabins.
"We interrupt this broadcast; our engineers are discovering an anomaly on the train tracks. Please be patient and remain calm, we are investigating."
A team of engineers marches on towards the tracks.
"We have discovered a fault in the upcoming stations."
From my view, I cannot see what is going on. But I knew we were in good hands. Charlotte locates the closest physical train map. Taking a while, she scours the map meticulously. Then she fishes out her smartphone to check social media for official announcements.
Connecting the information, she triangulates to find out where the fault lies.
With her wit and knowledge, she is able to pinpoint almost the exact point with ease.
"I think Green Bank is where the fault lies" she said her thoughts aloud, pointing at the map.
Murmurs could be heard from around. Eden looks over at Charlotte; tilting his head quizzically.
Brushing his hair along his fingers, Eden taps on YouTube and starts watching a finance video. One of the many in his subscription list.
"The 50-30-20 rule is the most important rule you must take note of when saving for retirement…"
The soft sound leaks out from his smartphone.
Eden hurriedly taps pause and rummages through his pockets for his Bluetooth earphones.
Click! The earphones glide across the floor. Charlotte cranes her neck.
A shiny indigo case with flashing lights is tucked beneath a passenger that is fast asleep. Half the size of a wallet, the case fidgets from left to right, and right to left; following the rhythms of the transport.
I sheepishly glance around. The other passengers notice too.
"Ahem excuse me!" Charlotte lets off a huge sigh before proceeding to tap on the shoulder of the tired gentleman.
"Is it my stop?" he answers groggily.
"Yes, it is!" Charlotte uttered as she hastily bends down to pick up the device.
The gentleman, still half awake, dashes for the exit. Coming to his senses only when the doors have close behind him.
"Wha? I totally did not mean to do that." I am stunned as the gentleman makes his way out of the doors.
I hesitate for a while with trembling hands before returning the earphones to their rightful owner.
"Thank you…" Eden furrows his eyebrows as he struggles to find words.
The gentleman whips out his phone and promptly sent a text. Charlotte is glued to the transparent doors.
"Hey, did you see that?"
"Yeah, I did. I thought my eyes fooled me"
"Next station-," the overhead announcement silences the whispers temporarily.
My hands turn a dull blue as I glance between my phone and the train board. "I really hope he is fine" confessing silently in my heart.
The exits open with a roar and a gust of icy cold wind. My legs are shaking as they step into an unfamiliar station. "I can fix this." Charlotte convinces herself.
I almost wanted to take a sip of my bubble tea.
From my periphery, there is not a single soul waiting on the chairs or going up the escalators. The screen flashed a bright eleven minutes to the next arrival.
Stamping back and forth, I started coming up with good apologies for the gentleman.
"Hopefully I did not affect his day…,", biting my lips. My words echo in the station.
The silence is deafening, as I stare into the distance in the station. Eden inspects his case closely.
"Eden?" a voice emerges from behind me.
I was caught aback. It turns out to be my university friend.
"It really is you! What's up!"
"A bit, what about yourself?"
"Things are going quite smoothly, I'm on my second assignment since joining the company. There are prospects of an overseas project soon even. It's exciting times."
"That's really cool! Congratulations!" I extend my hand out.
"So I'm guessing India or Australia?"
"Wa? How did you know?"
"Just a random guess. I heard some news from people in the industry."
"Hmm…"
"So this project will likely take a few years."
"Yes, but I'll be back once or more every year."
"That's great, I hope you enjoy the journey. I'll miss seeing you around friend.
By the way, I have a new music playlist to share."
The doors open, and I step out into the humid summer, heading towards my next destination.
"3 minutes.", the overhead announcement signals.
Charlotte stares down at her smartphone once more. About to miss both breakfast and work, I steel my resolve and bit the bullet. I am not moving one centimeter from this point until I meet the gentleman.
The slick shiny train thunders down the tracks as the signboard turns to arrive.
I am rooted to the ground, the silhouettes on the train passing faster than a maglev. The transparent doors tower over me, as I still try my best to make out where the gentleman is. As the train crawls to a standstill, I start to inspect the cabins more closely.
As a precaution, I even planned to step into the cabin for a brief moment to check, in case the gentleman did not get out of the transport. Numerous passengers stream out from every door. I am taken aback as this is not a popular stop.
I brush my way onto the train and peer closely at the lone escalator at the station. Whilst taking charge of the people in the cabins.
Making sure that I do not mis-account for even a single human. I slow down and take my time to observe. My heart is on fire.
