Last Train

I had just finished working very late.

I was getting very tired, and anxious to get home.

Before leaving, I glanced over at the photograph of my mother. Remembering that this was the seventeenth anniversary of her death. She had died due to complications from diabetes.

“Love you.”, I said quietly, as I touched the photo.

I packed up my paperwork, shut down my workstation, and headed out the lobby to the street.

It was close to two in the morning, and there were little to no people on the street.

I did not have far to walk to get to the subway station. It was only a couple of blocks. I was hoping to catch the last train.

I arrived at the corner to where the station entrance was located, but I had to cross the street, as the entrance I normally use was closed at that time of night.

The light was red.

It seemed silly to have a red light when there was hardly any traffic.

It seemed to take forever. 

‘Is this light ever going to change?’, I thought to myself.

Looking around, I saw no traffic, so I decided to cross, albeit a red signal.

I had made it about half way across, when I heard it. A tractor-trailer, that seemed to be going a bit too fast for downtown.

It had buzzed through the intersection, and the left-front part of the cab clipped me.

It was enough force to knock me onto the pavement.

The driver did not even stop.

I was able to get up, and I was not in any pain.

I was very lucky.

It took a few seconds for me to realize what had happened, and by then the truck was to far away to get a licence plate number.

I gathered up my papers, which had been scattered all over the road, and continued to the subway station.

As I stepped onto the platform, and I noticed a vehicle waiting in the station, with its doors open.

I did not find this unusual, as trains often waited a bit at this station. I was just happy there was still service, and not having to walk all the way home.

I boarded the train, and the doors closed almost immediately after.

There was only one other person on the train. An elderly woman, who looked to be in her 90's.

There was also a cat wandering around the car. Somehow, a stray cat got onto the subway.

I found a seat away from the woman, as I was not in the mood for chatting. You know how chatty older people can be.

By this time, the train had entered the tunnel.

However, it seemed to take an unusual amount of time to get to the next station.

It was nothing. I was very tired, and things like that happen when I am tired.

It was an uneventful trip, but what seemed to be almost twenty minutes, I finally saw the next station approaching.

It looked different, though. All the tiles and the floor were shiny and very clean.

The train stopped, and the doors opened.

An announcement came over the train’s PA system, “This train is out of service. All passengers please leave the train... This train is out of service. All passengers please leave the train.”

I exited the vehicle onto the clean floor.

At the same time, I looked over at the woman. A man approached her with a big smile, and said, “Honey! Hi honey!”, then they embraced.

It must have been her husband, be he looked much younger than she.

I then noticed the stray cat shoot by me, and up to a child. A little girl. She must have been about nine.

The cat went right up to her, and began to rub his face against her legs, all while purring very loudly.

Then, I noticed her. A woman walking towards me. She looked very familiar. She looked like...

“Mom?”, I questioned.

A big smile came to her face, and she ran to me, put her arms around me, and squeezed as hard as she could.

“Son. It has been so long. I missed you so very much.”

Then, tears of joy ran down her face.