My usual choice on commuter trains is to sit in one of the seats marked for seniors and disabled persons. Most younger people will stand before sitting down in that section. But increasingly, as public transport around here fills up post-pandemic, the priority seats are filling up too.
Late the other night on a very crowded BART train headed out of San Francisco, the guy who ended up sitting next to me was of indeterminate age, wore a bandana pirate-style in his hair, old clothes — somewhat dirty but not ragged — and reasonably good walking shoes. Lulled by the swaying of the car on the tracks and the warm air, we both began to doze off.
After a few minutes he bumped against me, and he startled us both awake.
“Sorry,” he said.
“No problem,” I smiled.
“I’m always afraid of falling asleep on Bart and missing my stop,” he continued. “So it’s good you’re sitting next to me because now I have someone to talk to and I’ll stay awake.”
“Where are you headed?” I asked.
He named a station a few stops past the next transfer point but explained that that would not be the endpoint of his journey.
“When I get off,” he explained, “I’ll walk for three miles to the casino in San Pablo. I go there all the time.”
“Isn’t that a tricky route to walk at night?” I asked. “You’ve gotta go through some pretty sketchy areas.”
“Yeah, but I don’t talk to nobody. If someone approaches me, I put my head down and keep walkin’. Then they leave me alone.”
I thought about this for a moment. It was not only rainy and cold out that night but quite late.
“Have you ever thought about Lyft?” I asked.
“Sure,” he said, “It’s nice but I like to walk. Exercise keeps you healthy.”
He told me he was 51; I told him I was 75.
“So what would have happened tonight if you hadn’t wakened up just now?” I asked.
“Oh, I probably would have stayed asleep until the end of the line. And the problem with that is this is the last train of the night. And that’s already happened to me once before.”
“What did you do?”
”Well they told me I had to get off and the next train would be the first one in the morning —about six hours later. So I got off, went out and found a diner open late. I stayed there ‘til 2, when it closed, then I sat outside it on the curb for four more hours. It was cold.”
“That sucks,” I said. “Then what happened?”
“Oh, I caught the first train with all the commuters, came back, transferred and went to the right stop. Then I got off, walked the three miles, and made it to the casino.”
A few stops later, we parted ways, and I realized that I had forgotten to ask him how often he wins. Then I looked up the casino, and it says it’s open 24 hours a day. Now I’m retired, maybe I’ll go there myself one of these days.
Today’s News (47):
Putin’s Ukraine Gamble Pivots to a Very Different Battlefield — After Russian forces were mauled in cities and towns in northern Ukraine, Vladimir V. Putin is shifting the focus of his invasion to the flatlands of Donbas, in the east. (NYT)
Mariupol defenders ignore Russia surrender deadline (BBC)
Zelensky: "I don't believe the world, after we have seen what's going on in Ukraine" (CNN)
Why Russia turned away from urban war in Kyiv to focus on the east (WP)
VIDEO: Missiles Hit Central Kharkiv (AP, Reuters)
After More Than a Month of Fighting, Much of Mariupol Lies in Ruins (WSJ)
Ukrainian soldiers hold out in Mariupol, pope laments 'Easter of War' (Reuters)
Ukrainian troops mount last-ditch stand in Mariupol’s tunnels (Financial Times)
Austrian chancellor: Putin ‘in his own war logic’ (Politico)
Ukrainian president calls for more help, additional sanctions against Russia (CBS)
War crystalizes young Ukrainian leaders' calls for a future aligned with Europe (NPR)
‘This land is in blood’: A Ukraine village digs up the dead (AP)
In Lviv, displaced artists create antiwar, anti-Russian work (WP)
Russia and Ukraine Build Forces for Looming Battles in East (WSJ)
Russia Fires Missile Barrage at Ukrainian Cities and Military Targets (NYT)
Biden’s Claim of Russian Genocide in Ukraine Adds to Pressure Campaign (WSJ)
The War in Ukraine Is Breaking Russia’s Academic Ties With the West (Yahoo)
Zelenskyy urges world to prepare for possible Russian nuclear attack (NHK)
Where Russians Turn for Uncensored News on Ukraine — Telegram (NYT)
Attacks rock Ukrainian cities as Mariupol nears full Russian control (WP)
The Unseen Scars of Those Who Kill Via Remote Control — Capt. Kevin Larson was one of the best drone pilots in the U.S. Air Force. Yet as the job weighed on him and untold others, the military failed to recognize its full impact. He fled into the California wilderness. (NYT)
A tale of many pandemics: In year three, a matter of status and access (WP)
Amid Backlash, Texas Governor Repeals Border-Clogging Immigration Order (NYT)
Trump’s Focus on 2020 Election Splits Michigan Republicans (NYT)
The next censorship battleground for the Christian right: public libraries (WP)
Kentucky Legislature Overrides Beshear’s Veto, Giving Local Political
Leaders Control Of Public Libraries (Infodocket)Florida says it rejected math textbooks for referring to critical race theory (Axios)
For many, Easter Sunday marks a return to in-person worship (AP)
Pakistan says cross-border attacks from Afghanistan have increased (Reuters)
Tunisia’s neighbours offer help to contain damage after fuel ship sank (Guardian)
‘We’re Exhausted’: Palestinians Decry Israeli Raids as Collective Punishment (NYT)
Man who paid $2.9m for NFT of Jack Dorsey’s first tweet set to lose almost $2.9m (Guardian)
To fight climate despair, this Christian ecologist says science isn’t enough (WP)
Washington state retools a first-in-nation payroll tax plan for long-term care costs (NPR)
T-Rex Could Actually Be Three Separate Dinosaur Species, Study Argues (WSJ)
It's heading our way! NASA confirms largest comet ever has been detected (Marca)
More than 50 percent of people worldwide have headache disorders (WP)
She Never Stopped Loving Otis Redding. Her City Never Stopped Needing Him. (NYT)
Archeologists discover historical artifacts during Notre Dame Cathedral restoration (NPR)
You Can Add Seven Years to Your Life if You Stop Worrying About Getting Old (WSJ)
Everyone On Camping Trip Just Gets Out Of Way While Friend Who Knows What He’s Doing Takes Care Of Everything (The Onion)
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