Arduousness

OK. Payday was yesterday. After I sat down and figured fiscally everything that I needed done immediately, I realized that I had only 9 dollars left from my check. A co-worker of mine said he had only 69 cents left from his paycheck once he did what he had to do. Then, later in the Subaltern Transit ticket line, while I was contemplating what bills will have to "wait" and which ones I would "pay" because I was about to buy a 10 trip at the Port of Authority costing me 88 bucks, equaling 5 days of round trip bus fare so I could get to work, the woman in the line next to me was being told that both of her cards were declined and she could not get to where she needed to go.

Amazing. The woman was middle age, professional, and standing with what looked like a leather bound notebook full of credit cards. I realized later that it was her billfold. But in the moment, she was so desperate and starting to shamefully dismantle the assuredness she must have flexed in her office earlier that day, that I felt sorry for her. There was a sound of freshly earthed uncertainty that tainted her voice as the sister behind the window screamed pretty loudly "I said both cards were declined!" And from there you could tell that that this corporate associate, assistant, manager or partner had just a few seconds before my arrival verbally assaulted the woman behind the counter, and as a formidable counter-strike the transit clerk let one singular and sisterly volley of words out of her mouth forcing the corporate minion to fold her cards. For anyone in shouting distance there was a collective gasp, followed by a confused bewilderment at the professional appearance of the woman at the window. Then the delay at my window because the ticket machine ran out of tickets and I had to wait for the machine to be re-stocked and prepped with fresh ticket cards. Then there was the impatience of the man behind me and his non-smile. Then there was the mad rush onto a packed bus after searching for the correct gate since the rennovations have rained havoc throughout my normal quadrant of the terminal.

Everyones exhausted, no one smiles, no one talks, on the bus. Some read, most sleep, other look out of the window.

I wonder if I snore?