Metropolitain Diary

Rare Ride

Dear Diary:

It was 1982 and I was living in the Upper East Side. I left my apartment for work early on a Tuesday. When I got to the subway station, I saw that there were tons of commuters fighting to get down the stairs to the platform. It was obvious that the trains were not running properly.

Even though I was on a limited budget, I decided to take a taxi to my office at Park Avenue and 39th Street. I was supposed to make a presentation at an early meeting, so I knew it was the right decision.

It took some time, but I finally flagged down a cab. As we approached my destination, I began to searching my pocketbook for my wallet so I could pay the driver. When I found my wallet and opened it, I saw that I had only three singles. It wasn’t enough.

I asked the driver to stop near a bank so I could get the cash I needed to pay him.

“Oh don’t worry about it,” he said. “You just go and have a great day. Do you need money for coffee?”

— Valerie Wallace