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Carolyn MAG
Her legs dangled over the edge of the green bench. She ran her fingers up them and wished she'd taken the time to shave them, but it was too late now and she just waited. She looked across the tracks at the ad posters but she didn't read them because she didn't have her glasses. She had left them at home. She thought that she looked prettier and older without them. And she waited. There weren't any other people in the station except for the man who sold newspapers and candy bars, who made her nervous. She checked her watch, it was only 10: 30; fifteen more minutes to wait. She wanted to go and buy a newspaper, but she was afraid that his train would come and she would miss it. She knew that it wouldn't, she was just afraid.
She pictured what he would look like coming off the train and she thought about what he would say to her and how happy she would be. She made up things to say when he came. She looked again at her watch: 10: 35. An old man came and sat down at the other side of the bench and she smiled nervously at him. He didn't seem to notice or care and he took a sandwich out of a briefcase. It was wrapped in wax paper and after he carefully unwrapped it, he offered half to her. She just smiled again and rubbed her arms as if she were cold. The man placed the sandwich half next to her on the bench. She didn't touch it though, she just kept rubbing her arms. The man took a bite and between chews he spoke, "You haven't touched your half. It's very good, you know, I bought it down there at the Deli. I saw them make it, so it's fresh."
She forced a laugh and looked at her watch.
"If you're not going to eat that you know you could have told me."
She couldn't think of anything to say, so she picked up the sandwich and just held it. The man didn't respond and she was glad. She wanted to leave now to go back home and shave her legs and get her glasses so that she could read the ads on the other side of the tracks, but she couldn't move. He would be here soon and everything would be good again. She wanted him to tell her that it was all right and that he would never go away again. The old man started folding up his waxpaper and put it back in his briefcase. She thought he took out a book but didn't try to look, afraid that he might try to talk to her again. So she just waited.
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