March 2003 Issue - Essay # 1
Trapped
in the Tube
By Kristin
Dreyer Kramer
The
next morning, we sleepily hiked the mile into town and got on the Tube,
London’s infamous subway. As
we headed for the city, Deb mentioned that we’d have to be careful
when we returned that evening. "Sometimes, they shut down the trains
early, and they don’t go all the way to Southgate," she explained. Deb
and I spent much of the day on the Tube.
We wanted to see as many sites as possible--and besides, it
was raining, and the Tube was dry. Soon, I felt perfectly comfortable on
the Tube. In fact, I loved
the people-watching and the endless escalators.
I actually looked forward to our next ride. That
night, we went to the theatre in the heart of Piccadilly Circus.
Afterwards, we hopped on the Piccadilly Line, which would take us
directly back to Southgate--with plenty of time left to stop by the
pub for a pint before heading back to our room. Inside
each car, there’s an LED display that flashes the train’s
destination. I gasped when
read the sign: "This train is for… Arnos Grove." Arnos Grove was
the stop before Southgate. The
train wasn’t going all the way to our stop.
I called to Deb, who was standing a few feet away.
When I finally got her attention, I frantically nodded in the
direction of the sign. Deb
looked confused. I turned to
see a middle-aged man standing in the direction that I had nodded.
He, too, looked confused. I
shook my head. I didn’t
want to break the unspoken rule of silence on the Tube, but I had to.
"This train only goes to Arnos Grove," I hissed, trying to
fake my best British accent, so I wouldn’t be discovered as a Yankee. After
an extensive conversation of body language and telepathy, Deb and I
agreed to get off the train at the next stop. A
sign at the next station announced that the next train to Cockfosters--the stop after Southgate--would be arriving in just a few
minutes. We took that time to find a Cadbury vending machine and buy a
chocolate bar to share. We
had just enough time to pick out our candy bar and catch the next train.
I
could have sworn the sign inside the train said "Cockfosters" when
we hopped on. But when we
had finished our chocolate, I looked up and noticed that the sign once
again said, "This train is for… Arnos Grove." I pointed to the
sign, and we got off at the next station. “I
need more chocolate,” I sighed as we got off the train. The
station was quiet, except for the far end, where a couple was quite
obviously in the middle of an argument.
We checked the train schedule, and nothing was expected for
several minutes--another train to Arnos Grove.
Another several minutes after that, a Cockfosters train was
scheduled to arrive. Preparing
for the wait, we made ourselves at home and found another Cadbury
machine. I
paced through the station while Deb inserted her change into the coin
slot, only to have it go right through the machine and end up in the
coin return. She tried
again. And again.
But the machine refused to accept any of her coins.
So
there we stood--exhausted from a full day of hiking, trapped in an
almost-quiet Underground station with a fighting couple and a broken
Cadbury machine. All Deb
wanted was a chocolate bar. All
I wanted was a stool at the pub and a pint of British brew. We
got out our map and started to prepare a backup plan. "Arnos
Grove is above-ground," Deb pointed out.
"It’s outside. It’s
cold and dark, and who knows if another train will come through and take
us to Southgate." So we
determined the best path to take from Arnos Grove to Southgate.
It looked like at least three miles of hiking through unfamiliar
streets--but what other choice did we have? Just
then, the next train arrived. I
glanced and saw a sign on the front of the train that said "Cockfosters."
I blinked
and looked again, and it hadn’t changed.
Deb had seen it too, and we excitedly ran to the train, worried
that it would disappear if we didn’t get on right away--and we’d
never get another chance. I
checked the sign on the inside of our car as soon as we got on--just
to make sure I hadn’t been seeing things.
"This train is for…" I held my breath as the sign changed
to read "Cockfosters!!!!"
Deb
and I noted the excessive punctuation and figured that it meant that we
weren’t the only ones who were relieved to be onboard. Eventually,
we stopped at Arnos Grove. The
car was suddenly flooded with shivering passengers, who had been waiting
outside for who-knows-how-long. I
think we were all relieved when the train finally left the station.
We weren’t going to have to walk after all. Southgate
was the next stop--and a crowd of us got off the train.
On our walk through town, we passed the pub.
It was just after eleven. The lights had been turned up, and the
patrons were taking their last gulps of ale before heading home.
We were too late. At
the edge of town, we passed a convenience store.
We stopped in and bought ourselves a lifetime supply of Cadbury
bars--which we hungrily devoured once we got back to our room.
After our adventure in the Tube, we deserved it. |
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Author's Biography Kristin Dreyer Kramer is the editor-in-chief of NightsAndWeekends.com--as well as a new resident of the fine state of Massachusetts (which she can finally spell without having to look it up). She's
been published in all four corners of the Internet (assuming that the
Internet does, in fact, have corners) as well as in print.
Someday, she plans to put her random silly articles together into
a book, which her mother and a few friends have politely promised to
purchase. Kristin welcomes fan mail, generous donations, and book deals at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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