Slid from a greasy street into the neon clammy subway on a rainy working morning to join the other black-clad human statues placed respectfully apart. Two minutes later all thrust together like chickens into the green train with no noise except the turning of newspaper pages an occasional smoker cough and an i-pod’s squeaky bleat. And the clatter of steel wheels on silvery rails.

Christopher stood hanging onto the strap swaying with the dancing train. The woman facing him was reading the back page so he read the front. A prison riot in Brazil – 12 dead “crazy country” Yet another warning of imminent terrorist attacks “no use worrying when you’re time’s up it’s up” Cybercrime is up “wish I knew how to do the same”. Why do people read the papers particularly her with her blue-painted (blue!) fingernails and tacky hairstyle. Who else is here. Oh, the young boy looking glumly at nothing with sleep-glazed green eyes just like his mother who was holding his hand and they looked like they were on their way to a funeral God some people must live very happy lives happy families I-Don’t-Think-So. To his right a young woman in an overcoat and deep thought it seemed or maybe just bored you never know what people are thinking.

The train pulled into and out of yet another station, the station before his and he watched the pretty-as-hell black-coated woman put her hand into her coat looking for something or maybe adjusting her bra-strap the driver braked a little too hard Christopher was thrown to his right and his briefcase banged into her knee. “Ow!!” she exclaimed stared angrily at him and pulled her hand from her coat to rub her knee. “Please forgive me” he said with his winning charming bright-and-beaming blue-eyed smile hoping to pacify her. Her beautiful doe eyes looked into his then her features softened a little and no words but she smiled slightly and nodded her head in a you-are-forgiven way that made him feel better and she had beautiful hair and fine skin and a long graceful neck and no necklace as the train pulled into his station.

Off the train and into the wet street melting into the steady stream of people flowing like lava towards the large office building where he worked. In the lift crawling up the walls he thought about the beautiful young woman he had met and sincerely hoped that she had forgiven him after all he may even see her again you never know and someone had drawn a pretty butterfly on the elevator mirror with a red felt-tipped marker.

On the train she was thinking of him and his lovely blue eyes and polite manner he was very attractive and her knee hurt she could hear his soft voice pictured his blond hair and thought about what she was thinking about when his briefcase banged into her but she had forgiven him she even whispered “I forgive you” now at least forgave him so she felt better and put her hand back into her coat and the old man opposite her watched her maybe adjusting her bra-strap or something but no that wasn’t it at all her hand searching feverishly and then found it and her body stiffened and she held her breath sharply and scared and it was now because the bomber’s forgiveness had been granted and given so she pulled the cord and she and the old man blue-nailed woman boy and mother and the rest of her forty six victims all ceased to exist in one shattering and eternal instant..............

Michael C

Picture - Hawaii Forgiveness Project