It’s been almost two months now since the first day I reported in for my first job. It was 4 weeks shy of my 23rd birthday then. Since the very first day, I’ve religiously taken the Kelana Jaya LRT line to work. My office is a mere 5 minutes (or maybe less) walk from the station. I am among the earliest commuters and I have grown familiar with the usual morning faces.
There’s the old man with a hunchback that I see every morning with his backpack. He always wears khaki pants and earthy colored shirts. It would seem he is unapproachable with his perpetual frown but he is actually friendly once you talk to him. He seems frail but seeing his vigor when he talks, I know he is a strong man.
Then there were these kids who go to one of the few international schools in town. Siblings, I think. The oldest one is a gangly boy of maybe 13 or 14. The one with freckles across her face always have her nose in an Archie Comic. The little one, maybe around 7 or 8, is always munching away on a Quaker granola bar.
Then there’s this older lady, maybe in her 40s, that I nicknamed “Kamikaze”. There was lots of time when I would hesitate to go in the trains because the throngs of people already squashed in. Kamikaze is different. Even when she’s queuing behind me, she would always charge her way into the train. She would actually give herself a starting run and hurl herself inside the already crowded train.
The two married (hinted by their wedding bands) English expatriates always talk about their wives and children. I don’t mean to eavesdrop but it’s so funny when they imitate their kids. I think they’ve noticed me; I’ve been squashed between them more than a couple of times until they descend at the KLCC station.
Speaking of KLCC, this is where “Powder” would board the train. I would count to 15 as soon as she enters and to this day, she has never failed me. You see, right after the 15th count, she would whip out her compact and powder her already heavy laden, powdered face.
When Powder does her thing, my “Timekeeper” would watch. Timekeeper is in his mid- or late- twenties. His ears would often be plugged with his iPod’s earphones. He wears this big round wristwatch that I would often use to check the time. Admittedly, he’s kind of cute =p
Not long after KLCC, I would soon arrive at the Pasar Seni station. There, a stout figure in the standard public school uniform would come in. Her roundedness reminds me of the adorable, rounded tummy Winnie the Pooh. I can see that she likes Adrian Grenier by the magazine cutouts that she attached to her folder.
Sometimes from the moving trains, I would peer out and see people moving around the city. I like watching them and can’t help but to wonder the place that they’re heading to and what will they do when they get there.
As I get down at my stop, I would always say a prayer. I would ask that God to make me better than I was yesterday and also hope that he’ll protect me. I would then say a prayer for all the people that I met in the morning in hopes that they have a better day.
Will you pray for me too, if you would see me in the train?
