'A' Train Strangers

Sometimes I catch myself looking at the faces of people around me on my morning and evening commutes for just a little too long.  What constitutes too long?  Well, if the person makes eye contact back, that's too long.  If you find yourself getting sucked into momentary resentment of humanity, that's too long.  And if you find yourself thinking that humans are ultimately and overwhelmingly beautiful, that's too long.  But looking for too long can't always be avoided when there's so much to see.

In a city of 8 million people, I am amazed to say that I have seen the same four characters on multiple occasions, on the train or in the stations, and sometimes even on the street.  These are my characters and I'm fond of them because they seem to keep finding me ~ or maybe they're just the people I've looked at for a little too long and therefore they are the ones I really, truly recognize amongst the millions of moving strangers around me.  They are:

1.  The Gold Man
This guy is probably in his mid 50's and he stands tall and straight in logging boots, pleated trousers with suspenders and a bowtie, and, strangest of all: a hard hat on his head.  What makes you notice him isn't his impeccable style so much as the fact that his hard hat, his suspenders, and even his thick-soled logging boots are all painted a glittering, metallic gold.  I saw him for the first time in the fall of last year and then several months later in a station on the other side of the East River, in a different borough, with the same pressed white collared shirt.

2. & 3.  The Brooklyn Look-Alikes
This soft-spoken mom has fluffy curls of hair and wide blue eyes that are perfectly mirrored on her three-year-old son.   They ride the F Train and I suspect they are coming from one of the nice Brooklyn neighborhoods, but I have no idea where it is they go.  She always speaks to her son in a way that illuminates her obvious respect for his intelligence and capability, young as he is.   The little guy has the subway route memorized and asks incredibly complex questions; all of which are explained with love and patience by the woman holding his coloring book.  I've seen them several times and hope they haven't caught me watching.

4.  The Newspaper Bird
This elderly gent is probably homeless and certainly sporting his own idea of wearable art:  I saw him first crossing the street near my work and then I caught him in the act of putting his costume together one Saturday in the station near Union Square.  His costume is constructed of hundreds of newspaper shreds, tucked into every possible space between his head and wrists and waistband.  I don't know exactly why or how he does this, although he seemed pleased to be posing for someone as awestruck as I was the next time I spotted him.

So there you have it:  strange occurrences that make you realize that maybe there aren't strangers in the city.  If you risk taking a look that's too long, you are rewarded with familiarity.