The plans went down the drain along with lots of time and energy!
Have you ever had the best plans in the whole world, and they all went down the drain? Well that hasn’t happened to me lately. But I can share that happened to someone I know. They had intentions to go downtown to *Maggie Daley Park in downtown Chicago. The family consisted of the baby, a 6 year old, a college student, and Mom and Dad.
Their intentions were to meet one of the older adult children downtown for a pleasant Labor Day afternoon. It was hot and muggy, but they were all psyched up for a great day. Last year they had done a similar trip downtown and all was well.
So I get the first long text of how the train they boarded had a mechanical error on their way downtown. They were dropped off in Wheaton. It would be a 2 hour wait, since the trains were less scheduled for the Holiday. Keep in mind as I tell this story, that there is a 6 year old with lots of energy and I am sure questions? Oh, and an 8 month old!
They get back on the train. Another mechanical error takes them to Glen Ellyn where there is a 30 minute delay. Oh dear, this didn’t sound good. While they were waiting, a man on the train, dressed all in black was sitting and reading a book. Every few pages, he would close the book and slam his head with it. He then started making gun figures with his hands and pointing it at people’s heads pretending to shoot them. He was sitting several seats ahead of the family. It was rather distressing and frightening.
Thank goodness the older teenager was on the top deck with the 6 year old, so they weren’t seeing all of this. Some people were giving him looks. Most people were just being sheep and totally oblivious. Probably thinking if they ignored the situation it would go away? The parents made the joint decision to remove themselves and the family from the train. A couple of other people sitting across from the man also removed themselves and exited.
Now the family decides to wait for another 2 hours. Hopefully, there will not be another mechanical issue. They decide to wait at a Donut shop to waste time and stay relaxed. A lady who appeared confused and half dressed began to get inquisitive about the diaper bag. It is a blah, nothing exciting there bag, but she did was unduly curious!
And then, she began to comment and get nosy about the teenagers purse. This Criminal Justice student was getting uncomfortable. She said she was ready to toss her drink at the lady if she got any closer. Oh boy, we do get suspicious and rightly so when it comes to our safety and possessions.
Daddy was totally unaware of the discomfort level at the other end of the restaurant with the ladies. Oh boy, that wasn’t good. Or maybe it was good. When things are stressful, it is good to have one or two people emotionally disengaged.
Obviously, the family did not get downtown. When the next train came, they headed for their stop to get back to their car. Time to go home and unwind! They were out of time, money ($24 dollars in round trip tickets), and energy. Plus, I need to end this by telling you, that this was supposed to be a Birthday celebration for Mom.
The Mini Miracle was that all turned out well. Maybe coming back at night would have been worse. All things happen for a reason and maybe this was a “blessing in disguise”!
Having said that, I think Metro has to “step things up” and get Holiday trains a bit safer mechanically and with Conductor supervision. “Just saying!”
*maggiedaleypark.com