Kid Car

I had to go downtown for a Toastmasters thing the other day. This meant riding the subway line from end to end, which takes something more than half an hour. I brought a lunch (as suggested by event planners) and a book by Henry Miller to occupy myself on the train. This was fine, and the event was fine. What was interesting was the ride back, which tended to impair my ability to read the book, and ultimately my interest in doing so.

While walking through LA Union Station for my return trip, I noticed a sprawling horde of children in matching shirts accompanied by evidently responsible adults. I tried to stay out of their way, giving no thought to where they were headed. I went down to the train and waited for it to come and open its doors. It did so, I entered and I sat down. Then came the hordes. They collectively stormed aboard the train like a revolutionary army. It was quite a thing.

I ultimately figured that I'd better surrender my seat. If it didn't go to an undoubtedly weary and bedraggled parent, it ought to go to a kid (who would then be affixed to a point instead of ranging all over the train and potentially perpetrating mischief). Suffice it to say that they suffered no apparent shortage of energy and enthusiasm. If people are often resentful of children, I think it must be out of jealousy. I'd love to be like them.

I was mostly grinning and appreciating their youthful zest, wondering at what kind of reasonable, tolerant people still remain in the system to trust kids on a train trip in the city. I never had such a thing (as my city had no such train). I recall a trip downtown in which we were hustled to and from the convention center downtown without a moment to befall the big city's evils. There was then even less going on there than there is now. I admired those kids on the train, that's for sure.