Love is kind

The train was late.  The crowd was already getting uncomfortably close.  Inconvenience began to boil up inside her.  Next to her, the man was mumbling.  Talking to himself or trying to communicate with her, she couldn't be certain.  Train, please come quickly.  She took the steps onto the train directly behind his tall, malnourished frame, one slow step at a time.  Her heart softened.  As they entered the crowded aisle together, strangers began offering this elderly gentleman their seats.  He preferred to stand.  Their kindness settled inside her and brought a smile to her face.  At the next stop, seats opened up and she found herself next to him, sharing a seat with his bag of books from the library.  She smelled that sweet alcohol smell as he apologized in his soft mumbled words for taking up so much room and told her about how his mother always made him give up his seat for ladies.  He made her uncomfortable.  She had to get close to understand his speech and the sun was in her eyes as she looked his way.  Not wanting to be rude, she smiled and nodded.  The plastic bag on his lap was giving him trouble; his swollen fingers couldn't wrestle the knot open.  Minutes passed as the verse played in her mind "Love is patient, love is kind..."  "Sir, can I help you with that?," she finally asked.  "Oh no, I can get it, but thank you so much.  You are so nice."  The struggle continues as soda cans drop from the bag and roll to the seat behind them.  She turns around and the ladies behind them return her smile as they load up her arms with the goodies that reached their feet.  One can springs a leak as it hits the ground.  He holds it still with his bright white tennis shoes until he can manage to open the bag.  This time, he lets her give the knot a try.  He notices the ease in which she works out the knot, and showers her with thank you's and blessings as she fills the bag back up with the sodas, cigarettes and candies that had escaped.  She shows him the hole in the bottom of the bag and they work together to rearrange his books (his most prized possession, he tells her) to secure his bag of snacks.  It's still hard to understand him, but he's expressing his surprise that someone would actually help him; his gratitude - that he'd still be working on the knot if not for a friend to lend a hand.  "I hope your husband knows he's got a good woman!  And I'm not trying to be fresh.  This is the nicest train ride I've ever had."  As the train slowly pulls into the station, she wishes him well and tries to steer clear of the Pepsi puddle near her feet.  The train starts moving and she feels a tap on her shoulder from behind.  "That was really nice of you.  Most people wouldn't do that.  Thank you."  Embarrassed, she responds "No need to thank me.  Just been wondering if it would actually make a difference if we all tried to love each other a little better.  Thought I would give it a try."  She feels awkward, but maybe, hopefully, it will remind people of good and love and beauty.  And that it's not that hard.  They share a certain bond as the soles of their shoes, sticky from the man's soda, noisily exit the train at their stop.  And they go home changed by a simple interaction with a man, his books and his plastic bag.