Fiddling with the ticket, Bryon anxiously longed for the ride to Manhattan to arrive. Unlike any other day, his driver caught a cold, forcing a twenty-two year old Bryon to experience the ultimate underground journey. He stuck out like a sore thumb with his foot repetitively tapping and head looking in every direction like a nervous twitch. To say Bryon failed to enjoy the company of people is a false statement; however, the fact of the matter is, he never understood them. The bubble he remained in kept him safe, and guarded from caring excessively and ending up hurt from expectations.

The subway doors suddenly were ajar, while members of the society occupied the train, with Bryon categorized himself as a complete outsider. Between the tapping of his foot and his countless stream of thoughts, he felt the presence of a woman appearing nervous as well. Byron, a man usually lacking any form of curiosity, peered in her direction. The lady kept looking at her watch as if the seconds mattered more than the hour or minute hand. Perhaps an important business meeting in her life occurred momentarily while she was stuck on the subway. To Bryon’s left, a young man flipped through a stack of papers as if the purpose was more about fanning himself than reviewing any notes. The curiosity took control again as Bryon began creating scenarios in his head that perhaps the man had a test or presentation to attend when they reached Manhattan.

Thinking in depth about everyone on the train, Bryon enjoyed the steadiness; the fact that each passenger took a path in the same direction for just a few minutes before the ride came to an end and the doors became ajar once again. Together, a bundle of stranger made up a sort of community that rode together toward the next destination in each individual’s life.

A screech came and went, as the moment of steadiness became a full force movement towards the opening door. Byron, once eager to leave the confined space, remained seated as faces became blurry as the passengers rushed out to the next part of their journey. In a sense, this appeared to be the end of the rode and the conflicting urge to make an effort out of an outsider’s comfort zone, he spoke up, “I hope both of your days will live up to your own satisfaction.” Both the woman and young man slightly turned toward and gave an impression of thankfulness across their tension-filled face.

This situation felt like the start of a new path, not the end of the road. Bryon had hope, not just for himself in the city filled with people rushing around him, but for the others on the subway that shared a moment in time with him between the tests and the board meetings. A moment of silence that brought together a dozen or more individuals in a small time period, a sense of togetherness brings Byron closer to a more comfortable way of living.