Yesterday I went to Universal Studio, Los Angeles. LA is 2:30 hour by train from Santa Barbara. I had taken an early morning train, so most of the time I spent sleeping while going. There was a Chinese guy sitting next to me. We didn’t talk with each other, and we both kept listing to our individual ipods. The only thing I remember asking was “How far are we from LA?” He just replied that it was the next station.
Rest of day I spent in Universal City. My return train was at 7 PM, but I reached the station at around 5 PM. Since I was tired, I spent rest of the time in the waiting room.
While waiting and listening to my ipod, I kept watching and observing people crossing by of different shape, sizes, and personalities. A girl passed by, with a warm and delicate smile. I saw her for few seconds and then went back at looking at other travelers. Time passed by and I in the mean time drank one cold coffee and an orangeade (similar to lemonade). Then I walked to sit somewhere else, close to boarding place. A girl came by and sat beside me. She was wearing a pajama and a t-shirt. A weird combination to travel in, but I guess everything works here. She looked liked an Indian but only till she started speaking to someone sitting next to her.
When the time came, I went to stand in the boarding queue. There was a guy standing ahead of me nicely dressed. I think he was not an american (I m yet to see a guy dressed well in US). Behind me was girl on a bicycle in small shorts. After few minutes she just stepped out of the queue and walked somewhere else, I didn’t followed.
Now the girl standing next to me was the same I saw with a warm and gentle smile, we shared a glance and then I kept looking ahead waiting for the announcement of arrival of the train. And she does arrive after couple of minutes on track 9B. Everyone rushed towards the track.
I took my seat in the train, but when the train started moving I realized that I was sitting in the opposite direction of the movement and that makes me dizzy. So I decided to find another seat that faces the direction of the moving train. And I noticed that girl at the end of the train, so I moved to her seat and asked if I can sit with her. She removed the bag from the seat and I then sat there. That smile on her face left a long lasting impression so I choose to sit with her instead of the other good looking passengers.
Her name was Cristina. She was very friendly; we talked a lot for next 2 hours. The time just flew, otherwise which would have been so boring. Then her station came and she left with a warm hug. Sometimes I wonder that we make friends at most unlikely of the places.
This train journey will be remembered for a long time!
