Today was another adventure in life for me. I was at a late movie the night before and got out of bed almost past the morning as a result. So much for getting morning chores done. Still, I managed to do a lot in the two hours and change left to me before I needed to board a train for the city to see a play.
While I was going through my Saturday morning routine, Mother Nature threw some snow our way, and the lawns and sidewalks were dusted with white. Fortunately, it was dry enough that freezing was not an issue, and the windshield of my car easily cleaned off with just my wipers.
When I reached the train station, I caught a glimpse of a glove on the floor, but I thought nothing of it, as the rush of people coming and going would make it difficult to determine its current state. Perhaps its owner was nearby. I made my way through the turnstile and took the escalator to the platform to await the early train.
A crowd had already began to swarm about the enclosed station, and I happened to be standing near two older women and a man who were engaged in conversation. One of the ladies put on her right glove, but searched her pocket in vain for its mate.
The play I was going to see was about Sherlock Holmes, so the coincidence of this drama in front of me was not to be denied. I spoke up and said that I had spotted a glove on the floor downstairs. The gentleman was prepared to go check it out, but the lady waved the idea away. This is part of our stubborn and occasionally silly nature to chalk up such a small loss to karma and do nothing.
I couldn’t do nothing.
The journey back downstairs did not involve an escalator, but I can always use some exercise and didn’t mind the sprint. I looked for the glove, but it had been removed, so I glanced around and found it was sitting on the bench near its original location, and what appeared to be a bundled-up fellow with jacket strings dangling and their head down, was settled in next to it. I called out, “Excuse me, sir?”
The “sir” raised their head. It was a younger woman festooned with hair extensions which cascaded over her thick jacket. When I asked, she brought the glove over, and with my face certain to be flushed with shame, I apologized for not guessing I was addressing a woman. She graciously waved it off.
Thank goodness that sometimes waving something off pays off in more ways than one. I was emotionally in hell inside. Sir, indeed.
I returned what turned out to indeed be the lady’s missing glove mate to her, and she was amazed that I would be kind enough to do it. I didn’t see how the fellow reacted, but we engaged in conversation until the train arrived. We were headed to the same show, which turned out to be a hilarious play with six cast members acting out multiple roles and pulling it off marvelously.
As for me, I took extra care to make sure my gloves were accounted for in my pockets, and I’m glad the lady did not need to go without hand protection in chilly weather. The lady who brought the glove to me may well be considering her future choice of attire to avoid being mistaken for somebody else.
And by the time the event was over, the snow had almost entirely melted.
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