On Thursday, I took the caltrain to 4th and King. Upon arrival, I swung out the doors and walked rapidly to the bus stop. I followed a man with a briefcase and a frantic look on his face. He was on the phone, yelling almost…I am coming, I am coming…<\/i><\/p>\n
I gave the bus driver my token and he handed me a transfer. Walking down the aisle, I looked at my transfer. Only 9:00 PM. I hesitated. Was that only an hour? No it was two hours.<\/p>\n
At Sutter and Kearny, I got off, spotting a bus coming up behind. The 3! I rushed over, worried that like a few muni drivers would leave me behind. I felt guilty once I got to the door, knowing that I was behaving like self-entitled yuppies.<\/p>\n
I took a seat in the back\u00e2\u20ac\u201dusually a rare instance because the back of the buses I take often are populated by the alcoholics and the druggies. But this was the 3. We went through Nob HIll and I felt yet another twang of guilt as we went past Cafe Andree. It was empty, devoid of any Dine About Town participation. Then I saw a Japanese place, completely packed, so unlike the restaurant my sister and I went to Wednesday.<\/p>\n
A talkative woman sat next to me. Her friend, also a dyed redhead, sat across from her. They made obvious comments, talked about the event they were attending, called the other attendees.<\/p>\n
Then a heavyset man sat next to me. I was holding my hands in my preferred position, with my hands almost in a pseudo-handshake, almost hugging myself. It was my non-confrontational version of arms crossed. The man spilled into my seat, but my unflinching elbows jabbed his sides. After a moment, he moved to the row behind me.<\/p>\n
I arrived at Fillmore and got off. I found SPQR easily. It was 7:12 pm. It was still early. I resisted the temptation to make a phone call, because it would not make a difference. I glanced around for a grocery store to prepare food for both Friday and Sunday, but did not see any. Only the large gleaming displays of Kenneth Cole, Japanese-imported makeup, and home designer furniture.<\/p>\n
Eventually, I put my name on the list inside SPQR, almost ready that they would reject me for not having my entire party present. But they didn’t, happy to take my name in consideration. I had to let another party of 4 go ahead of me…but there was no angered rays of this is an inconsiderate customer<\/i>. But…I paced slightly. Three buses passed by, heading north. The 22. The 3. Where was he?<\/i><\/p>\n
I stretched my head trying to see if he was in the incoming 22. No he wasn’t. Just only a man dressed with a sports jacket and a pair of mismatching pants. Then 10 minutes later, another 22 came. There I saw him. His back to me, he was facing the exit. Ready. I craned my neck, waving…trying to get his attention.<\/p>\n
He sensed me and saw me. His face immediately lit up. I was giddy again. I counted the time that it would take for him to disembark, cross the street and meet me. I spotted him finally walking down. I waved again. And like it always happens, he would speed up his pace. From a regular walk into a jog, then a run…a desperate run…that said he didn’t want to waste any more time being alone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On Thursday, I took the caltrain to 4th and King. Upon arrival, I swung out the doors and walked rapidly to the bus stop. I followed a man with a briefcase and a frantic look on his face. He was … Continue reading