Subway Story No. 2

On the subway home I stood beside a man who held an envelope and two photographs in his hands. The envelope had been quickly torn; the stamps indicated it was an international letter. One photograph showed a young child wearing a blue jacket. In his hands, the child held a paper cup. A blue straw, the color of his jacket, pointed towards his face. The child was looking at the camera, his attention drawn by the photographer. A flash had washed out his features, the background was dark. The other photograph showed the same child and a woman. A calendar hung on the wall beside them. In the background, four or five figures sat off to the left. The man shuffled between the two, returning always to the picture of the woman and child. He was unaware of his surroundings. A forefinger caressed the paper around the woman's face. I spent the entire ride looking at the photographs, trying to guess who they were and where they were and wondering why the man sitting beside me was not with them. Posted by eku at January 24, 2004 12:03 AM