A couple of weeks ago, I planned a day trip to the aquarium down in Brooklyn. I scheduled early on a Monday in hopes that it would be relatively empty, giving me more time to zone out on the fish without interruptions. The train ride was about an hour and a half, and when I first boarded I was afraid I would spend the whole time standing. The car was absolutely packed, and I had to push my way through the crowd in search of a railing to hold onto.
Thankfully, most of the car emptied out after about fifteen minutes, and I found a place to sit near the door. I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that the train went above ground - I had been focused on my gaming console in my lap and hadn’t noticed the beautiful fall colors and old buildings that now surrounded me. Brooklyn looks a lot different from Manhattan, but it was a pleasant change of scenery.
By now, the train was almost completely empty, save for a little old man, who I quickly realized was a bit out of his mind. With a cane in one hand, beer in the other, and a fat cigar in his mouth (it’s about 9:30 in the morning, mind you) I watched as he danced around the car, moonwalking past the doors and getting sturdy in the corner while I struggled to contain my laughter. I made eye contact with him once, receiving a frenzied glare in return, and pretended not to notice him for the rest of the ride. He spent a long time yelling at nobody and boogying back and forth across the car, tapping his cane to some imaginary beat the whole way. By the end of the ride, I was honestly more impressed than afraid - he had one smooooooth moonwalk. Relieved to have finally reached my stop, I passed him quickly (still busting a move!) and stepped out into the sunshine.
Adalia Deach is a sophomore Illustration student from Alaska. She hopes to work as a children’s book author and illustrator after graduating from SVA.