THE MOMENT
"Damnit," Greg chuckled to himself as he dug his phone out of his pocket to check the time again. It wasn't the first time he'd looked at the time and failed to register it properly before putting his phone away. This time, he made a point to read the time aloud just to be sure; there was no one else around to hear him anyway. "7:05," he nodded once he knew the time.
"I'm still on time...," he mumbled to himself. It was a necessary reminder. He'd felt like he'd been standing there for at least two hours. It was somewhat discouraging that so little time had passed since the last time he checked. With everything right in the world, he kept waiting while his mind drifted. He felt a faint pang of hunger and he wondered what he should get for lunch. Thinking about food only made him hungrier and he realized he forgot to have breakfast that morning. He was in such a rush that the morning felt like a blur; but, it was worth it to be on time.
"Maybe I'll get...,"
"Hi," a sudden voice startled Greg out of his thoughts. He turned to see a tan teenager with a mop of curly blonde hair. The teen wore a long white leather duster with a red cowboy hat; but, Greg wasn't one to judge. He knew the word 'cosplay' and knew it was popular with the kids; he'd seen his share of oddly dressed strangers at the station.
"Good morning," Greg smiled at the teen. But, the teen's friendly grin faded after Greg's greeting. He stared at Greg with a curious look in his eyes and it made Greg uncomfortable. He nodded, then looked forward again at nothing. Then, the teen spoke up again, not even a minute after the greeting.
"Got an ETA?" he asked. Greg turned and shrugged. He'd already decided he didn't like the look of the teen. His odd attitude only seemed convinced Greg further. His question came with a tinge of sarcasm as if he was demanding an answer that he expected Greg to have.
"For the monorail?" Greg asked. Then, he shook his head and shrugged. "I wish I did," he chuckled.
"Oh c'mon!" the teen was instantly annoyed. He stared into Greg's eyes. "When will the monorail arrive??" he asked. A small part of Greg was glad the teen took the time to rephrase his question into a more polite form; but, the boy was failing to understand that he did not know.
"This line tends to be abnormal," Greg replied. "It's not very punctual." He may not have cared for the teen; but, he was still there and Greg felt an obligation to talk to him to avoid an awkward silence. And, he hoped that if he annoyed the teen enough, the teen would just leave.
"Yeah, I know it's abnormal," the teen nodded. "That's why I'm here....," he sighed while still focused on Greg.
"....what's your favorite number?" he asked.
"One!" Greg did not hesitate to reply. It was an odd question and it took him by surprise. But, after he answered, he was glad the teen was at least trying to be friendly, in his own unusual way. "What's yours?"
"25...," the teen mumbled but his attention had already shifted. Like every other teenager, Greg wasn't surprised to see the teen pull his phone out. It was an advanced gadget that looked more like a glass card than a phone; but, Greg had seen plenty of them.
"Ahhh, never mind," the teen shrugged. He put his phone back into his pocket and turned around to leave. "I'll go try on another server...," he mumbled as he walked away. Greg chuckled.
"Good luck...," he grinned under his breath. He was glad to be done with that awkwardness. He watched the teen walk away and disappear around a corner. Then, he took a moment to admire the quiet, empty station.
"There should be more people though...," Greg admitted to himself. He pulled his own phone out to check the time, then put it back.
"Damnit," Greg chuckled again. He shook his head with an amused grin and dug his phone out of his pocket. This time, he made the deliberate effort to read the time aloud to make it stick in his mind.
"7:05," he nodded once he knew the time. "I'm still on time...," he mumbled to himself. As he returned the phone to his pocket, he decided to keep it handy and put it into his left pocket instead of his right this time.
"OH, oops!" he felt something in his pocket and he had a brief flash of panic; he was glad the train hadn't arrived yet. "Almost forgot to put on my nametag...," he pulled out the ID badge and took a moment to admire it; he was proud of all the hard work it took to earn.
The top of the ID displayed the company name - "Sharp Development Transporation" with his name and position under it. "Greg Smith - Platform Aide"
He felt a sudden wave of relief wash over him once it was clipped to his breast pocket. Then, he heard the monorail arriving.
"Finally...," Greg sighed. "...now I can get to work."