A friend had some show tickets she couldn t use, and we had never seen Phantom of the Opera. The show was great, and we enjoyed a brief visit around Manhattan before catching the last train to my hometown. The Long Island Railroad is a notorious beast. It shakes and rattles on its tracks like no other. The constant grinding, popping and squeals unnerve already tense passengers.
Babies cry, and conversing adults raise their voices to be heard over the noise.
Coupled with the bodies of passengers being pitched forward and back, and it looks like a bad scene from a kung fu movie. We were tired and cranky from the long day, and in no mood for the L.I.R.R. Standing, because of a lack of seats, we faced a young mother with five children. Her energetic flock buzzed around the car, not listening to their mother s pleas to be quiet and sit down. That s when I noticed him, a quiet gentleman sitting one row back. His soft voice stood out amongst the noise and the crowd began to listen.