Late For The Train Guy.
5 days a week I take the Aikan Train Line 6 stops to Yamaguchi Station. Almost every day of the week I see “late for the train guy”. Late for the train guy is about 5 foot 6, wears the same black suit (poorly tied tie and all) everyday, carries a black briefcase, and is likely an office worker of some kind. He has thin, slightly curly (but more likely just not styled) black hair on half of his head, on the other half it has completely receded. He looks about 38 years old, but in truth he’s probably only 30. Late for the train guy rides a bike to the train station. Correction, he rides a granny bike with a basket on the front, to the station.
His train leaves the Yamaguchi Station at 8:02 every morning, but late for the train guy, as the name implies, has trouble getting there on time. From the station gate, to the platform are about 50 steps, 35 meters, straight up. On a regular basis he sprints these steps (which I am leisurely walking down), in his black suit, with his black briefcase under his arm, and his glasses fogging up from sweat (Oh yeah I forgot to mention he wears glasses) and he dives onto the train at the very last second, just before the doors close.
On days like these, you can see him riding his bike towards the station as my train pulls in to the raised platform of the station. His suit jacket flapping in the wind, curly hairs bobbing back and forth, dangerously weaving down the sidewalk around pedestrians, it’s late for the train guy! I imagine he lets the granny bike park itself as he hits the ground running for the gates.
Of course he doesn’t always make it on time. About once every 2 or 3 weeks he’ll get stuck at a red light, or get blocked coming up the stairs by the passengers coming down. I’m not really sure what he does then, I’ve never waited around to find out.
What’s truly amazing though, are the following two items; how he can actually come that close to missing the train every day, and still catch it. And, how anyone in their right mind would choose to cut it that close every morning. For Pete’s sake Just get up 5 minutes earlier! Enjoy a coffee or something. Walk.. up the stairs, and imagine this, WAIT for the train to come.
But I guess he just can’t do that. He must be a tightly wound go-go-go kind of guy. He’s saving that five minutes in the morning for something else. The downside of course is that he shows up at work sweaty, he’s more than half bald (likely because of the stress of trying to make the train on time all these years) and he looks 10 years over his age.
The moral of the story. Relaxing mornings can lead to good days, and reduce the effects of aging, so take it easy!
His train leaves the Yamaguchi Station at 8:02 every morning, but late for the train guy, as the name implies, has trouble getting there on time. From the station gate, to the platform are about 50 steps, 35 meters, straight up. On a regular basis he sprints these steps (which I am leisurely walking down), in his black suit, with his black briefcase under his arm, and his glasses fogging up from sweat (Oh yeah I forgot to mention he wears glasses) and he dives onto the train at the very last second, just before the doors close.
On days like these, you can see him riding his bike towards the station as my train pulls in to the raised platform of the station. His suit jacket flapping in the wind, curly hairs bobbing back and forth, dangerously weaving down the sidewalk around pedestrians, it’s late for the train guy! I imagine he lets the granny bike park itself as he hits the ground running for the gates.
Of course he doesn’t always make it on time. About once every 2 or 3 weeks he’ll get stuck at a red light, or get blocked coming up the stairs by the passengers coming down. I’m not really sure what he does then, I’ve never waited around to find out.
What’s truly amazing though, are the following two items; how he can actually come that close to missing the train every day, and still catch it. And, how anyone in their right mind would choose to cut it that close every morning. For Pete’s sake Just get up 5 minutes earlier! Enjoy a coffee or something. Walk.. up the stairs, and imagine this, WAIT for the train to come.
But I guess he just can’t do that. He must be a tightly wound go-go-go kind of guy. He’s saving that five minutes in the morning for something else. The downside of course is that he shows up at work sweaty, he’s more than half bald (likely because of the stress of trying to make the train on time all these years) and he looks 10 years over his age.
The moral of the story. Relaxing mornings can lead to good days, and reduce the effects of aging, so take it easy!
posted by Graham @ 5:44 PM
2 Comments:
the goodness of this story was converted into greatness by the fact that there was an actual photo of Late for the Train Guy running up the stairs at the end. you could seriously have a second calling in storytelling.
Brilliant post.
I'll second what ariane said.
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