The following happened…oh, a week and a half ago.
BART adventures, Part 3
Background: I have been BARTing to and from Berkeley this school year because my roommate and I both moved out of our apartment to study abroad…and then I found out it would cost $20,000 to study in France for one semester. Au revoir, Critical Studies Program. Bonjour, Pleasanton.
Last semester, I had 8AM classes every. single. day. ‘Twas tragic. 8AM class necessitated 6:44 BART. (We–Punal and I–could have also caught the 6:57, but my classes were on the east end of campus, and the trek out that way would have caused my energy to peak, resulting in a crash during class.) During the morning commute hours, everyone kind of develops a routine. I always sat facing backwards in the second car, transferred at Lake Merritt (because the bulk of people transferred at one of the Downtown Oakland stops, after which I would get a seat), and saw the same faces.
Every now and then (when Punal wasn’t there/when Punal was there, but ignoring me to listen to “Get Low“), I would speak to a gentleman who was always in the same line. (The second car from Dublin/Pleasanton => the first car at Lake Merritt on the Richmond train.) Random facts: works for BART, had a really smart nephew in Idaho…oh yes, we definitely discussed the Mormons. Which, by the way, I ought to stop doing. I spent every morning with Mormon Pleasantonians sophomore year of high school, so I feel kind of in tune with the culture. But, I mean, it’s not like I’d like it if people always talked to me about Taiwanese stuff.
Last-last Friday: I went to the city with my future roommates, Elina and Erin, to go shopping. There was bonding. There were anecdotes. There were awkward comments. (Well, duh.) Then, I got back on BART at Powell to hie my way home. Who should get on at Montgomery than the gentleman from the morning commute! I hadn’t seen him in a long time because I (THANK GOODNESS) don’t have 8AMs this semester, so we caught up.
Interesting coincidences: he works for Nkechi’s dad! And, his super-smart/hardworking nephew in Idaho is also doing microbial biology. And so it goes. As we’re exiting:
Him: Yeah, I think you and my nephew would get along really well. I wish you two could meet. I mean, I’d like to introduce you to him…I don’t know if you have a boyfriend…
