03-08-2025
‘I Asked Her Name So I Could Thank Her for the Lovely Conversation'
12 Minutes
Dear Diary:
I was waiting for an uptown bus to meet my mother at the Met. It was one of the first hot June days, and I was sitting on the bench in the shade when an older woman walked up to the stop.
'Twelve minutes?' she said, looking at the countdown clock and then at me. 'I hope the new mayor fixes the buses.'
'I hope so too,' I said. 'Sometimes that sign isn't always right though. I always check on my phone.'
I showed her how I check the M.T.A. website on my phone to see how far away the bus is. I like to know so I can decide whether it's worth waiting.
We waited together for what probably was 12 minutes. I learned that her daughter was expecting a child and lived in Brooklyn. She said she had gone to the store that day to get some items for the baby.
I congratulated her — her first grandchild! And a girl no less.
We chatted about art in New York City until the bus arrived, and we sat next to each other on the bus so we could continue talking.
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