“I bet you won’t go to sleep right away”
“Nope” They laugh.
“I’m gonna watch TV for a while” his Jamaican accent is thick for Church Avenue.
“I’m probably gonna do the same thing” His voice is gruff. Definitely gruff. “I hope my bed is dry” Another gruff man gets up to leave and he puts out his fist, straight forward and parallel to the ground so if he opened it and there was change inside it would clatter on the subway floor. Another fist taps it.
“Actually I’m going to get McDonalds with my girlfriend” the younger man says.
“How much do you get?” The older man says to the younger man.
“Eight”
“You could probably get ten”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. Do you get direct deposit? Retirement benefits?”
“Naw. I don’t get none of that stuff”
“Our Union sets all that up. You work with a Union?”
“No”
“Yeah the Union pays for all that stuff. If you have to get your license renewed the Union pays for that stuff” He glances at his watch “I’m never gonna make it. I’m gonna get home at one again…”
“This is my stop”
“Yeah?”
“This is my stop”
The train slows and stops. The doors open.
“Isn’t this your stop?”
“Yeah, but I’m going to get off at the next stop. I’m going to go to my girlfriend’s house”
The next stop comes. The older man puts out his fist again.
“I don’t know about that” The younger man says, and shakes his hand. In the other he holds a bag printed with the letters R.A.G.
“You’re gonna call me tomorrow?”
“I’ll see you tomorrow”
“Oh, I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“I don’t know about that”
