MBTA part 4

Recently, I've stopped driving to and from work and school in favor of riding the T. beyond the financial boon of saving money on gas, I've enjoyed my time on buses and trains because it affords me a glimpse of the daily human condition. This evening was no different.

I have class Tuesday nights and tend to ride the train home late, usually around 9:30 p.m. I spend this time catching up on pleasure reading since most other times I'm doing school or internship related work. This evening I was enjoying a conversation between Akasha and Lestat when my attention was turned to other people riding the train with me.

The train was unusually packed this evening because of the Boston University opening night basketball game. Naturally, some folks were intoxicated to varying degrees. One such person was Dillon. Dillon, who had been at the game, was talking to a pretty young blond with a pink scarf when I got on the train. As it turned out, the Asian girl who got on as the same stop as me knew the blond. They sat next to each other and the blond introduced the Asian girl to Dillon.

"This is my friend, Tenny," the blond said. (I hope I'm spelling her name correctly.) The blond then turned to Tenny and told her to explain why her name was Tenny. Tenny declined, saying the blond told the story much better. As it turns out, Tenny was born on the tenth day of the tenth month at 10 a.m. Hence her name. Cute when you think about it.

Dillon was equally moved, explaining that he was born in the tenth month on the eleventh day and 1 p.m. Hence the name "Dillon" with two "ls" to signify eleven. Tenny laughed politely at this.

Dillon, a pale blond man, wearing a gray fedora, continued talking to Tenny and her blond friend, asking how they knew each other and what Tenny was studying in school. She answered all questions with a polite understanding of how drunk Dillon was. When it was discovered that she and the blond were from New York, Dillon talked about his sister living there and spending two Thanksgivings in Manhattan, one of which he spent extremely high on marijuana.

Dillon also talked about spending time in Seattle, "it rains a lot," and taking comedy classes at Cambridge Center for Adult Education. At Arlington, Tenny and the blond got off the train, but not before reminding Dillon to check out the blond's trivia night on Saturdays at Penguin Pizza, near Brigham and Woman's Hospital. Dillon promised to show up this coming Saturday.

After Tenny and the blond exited the train, Dillon's companion, a mousy looking girl in an over-sized blue parka, chided him for being so flirtatious. Dillon explained that if one wanted to pick up girls, that is how one had to act. I chuckled out loud.

The irony is that Dillon's intoxication blinded him to his boorish behavior. I'm certain that Tenny and the blond had a grand time talking about him once they were off the train. He'll make for a good story to tell their friends, just like he's made for a good blog entry. Not sure I can say it enough, but I love riding the T.