portrait of someone who gave me a seat on the train

I can tell that I'm really starting to show, especially this week, by the way people look at me. I am interested in a sort of character study of the people who actually acknowledge me or offer to move or help in some way. Are these people just nicer or feeling generous that day, or is there something in their lives that particularly motivates them to care about a pregnant woman? I don't know, but let's watch these people over the next few months and see what unfolds.

This morning when I got on the train, a woman immediately gave me her seat. She didn't even ask me if I wanted it, she just got up and offered it to me. There was something that struck me as very sweet about her personality, even through that brief interaction, though she wasn't smiley and there was a slight air of melancholy about her, probably just the early-morning blues.

She was in her mid-30's and overweight, but not fat. She was dressed simply in a conservative black dress and a long necklace, with a calf-length black raincoat with khaki trim. Minimal makeup, and a lovely face framed by blond hair held loosely in a clip. She wore sensible sneakers for her commute. Over her arm she carried a frayed black tote bag, and in her hand a worn out Louis Vuitton handbag.

When I glanced at her left hand holding onto the pole, there was a simple ladies' wedding ring with a small diamond, slightly scratched up and well-worn. Below that, on the same finger, also very well-worn, sat a man's wedding ring.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, this makes me sad. Of course everything does these days in this weather. If you see her again, tell her your mother said thank you.

Thais said...

oh, a widow...so sad...nice of her to give you her seat

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