Sliding Doors

Monday was a typical struggling actor day. I got up mid-morning; had a cup of tea; shit, showered, and shaved; had lunch with a friend; that friend and I went to a film audition together; we visited my agent's office; I departed to go to a rehearsal; left that rehearsal for another rehearsal which ended for me around 11:40ish. Your standard non-performance working day.

I live fairly far north in Chicago (7100N) and I usually travel by 22 Clark bus or the Red Line train when I am coming from or going to Second City. Last night, I chose the train. I was able to catch a 72 North Ave bus to the North/Clyborn CTA stop. As I entered the turnstiles, I could hear the northbound train approaching. I ran with had shut down the stairs and the escalator that is usually used for exiting was being used for entering as well. Since the escalator is only wide enough for one person at a time, I had to wait for the exiting passengers before I could descend into the subway. Damn! I missed my train and things were going so smoothly. I took deep breathes and calmed myself. There was nothing I could do but wait for the next train.

I do love people watching and my train had the best people. There were all types on the train: short, fat, tall, thin, dirty, trendy, young, and old. The best person to watch was this dirty middle aged white woman with her shoulder length salt and pepper hair parted right down the middle. She was sooooooooo tired. She was sitting in an aisle seat and as she dozed off she leaned into the aisle. Each time she leaned over to her right, I thought she was going to fall in the aisle for sure but each time she popped back up again. I alternated between my crossword puzzle and watching the woman like some pendulum rocking back and forth, side to side, back and forth. She rocked like that all the way to the end of the line, Howard. At Howard, everyone exited the train. I was glad that I missed the other train. I loved watching that woman. It amused me to no end and gave me a great character idea for a future project.

I left the Howard station hoping to jump on a bus that would take me a couple of blocks from my apartment but the bus was not there. Damn! No bus. I decided to go ahead and walk. The walk takes about 10 minutes. I was half way between the train and the apartment went a brother yelled at me from across the street. I had my fleece ear bands on so I couldn't hear what he was saying very well. It is 12:30ish and I don't know this brother but he is steady talking to me from across the street. Finally, I crossed the street (because I had to in order to get home) and the brother was saying "Why don't you come with me and have a beer?" (Pause) (Looked at brother) (Pause) (Sniffed brother's breath, definitely had been drinking) (Pause) "Say what?" I reply. He repeated, "Why don't you come with me and have a beer? Maybe me and you can party." I looked this brother up and down and he was fine. He was roughly 6'0", average size (hard to tell with winter gear), beautiful eyes, and great lips. OMG! (Pause) (Look at brother again). "I'm sorry bruh," I said, "I just finished a long day and I have to get up extra early for another long day (this is true). Besides, I don't know you." The fine slightly intoxicated brother tells me his name, tells me he is from Evanston and then says he wants to get to know me better, "we can start with a beer." I thought about some more about going with him but instead replied, "sorry, I really need to go to bed plus I have to watch my ducats. You know how that goes?" He replied that he did indeed "know how that goes." So he asked if it would be okay to approach me if he saw me again. Now this I thought was a strange request. He must be on the DL, any other person would have asked for my number or given me theirs. "Sure," I said, "If you see me again, give me a holla."

The fine slightly intoxicated brother said he was going to a bar on Clark, probably Jackhammer. I wished him well and I walked my last three or four blocks home.