While I stood waiting for a train that wasn’t coming, two men joined me under the big outdoor heaters. None of us were dressed for the weather despite our bulky jackets and toques, and we all had these faces that showed there was more bothering us than the cold. Red coat asked me how my night was going.
“Pretty badly,” I said.
“Woman problems?”
I laughed. “That obvious, huh?”
“Yeah. My buddy here just got screwed over tonight by his old lady, too.”
“Oh, sorry to hear that,” I said, a bit happy about our tiniest ledge of common ground. “What happened?”
Blue coat didn’t look up. “We broke up last week and she brought some other guy with her tonight just to piss me off.”
“Yeah, and they were all over each other,” his friend added, shaking his head. “I’m telling you, man, she ain’t worth it.”
“I know, I know. Every time she saw me looking, she’d kiss him. And I know she’s going to call me tomorrow and apologize, too.”
“What are you going to say?” I asked him.
“I don’t know, man,” blue coat answered.
“I’m telling you, don’t even talk to her. She’s just some manipulative chick playing games. Not worth your time,” red coat said.
“But I really like her.”
Red coat asked, surprised, “Even after all the drama she puts you through?” Blue coat nodded and red coat turned to me. “What would you do?”
“I’d forget about her if I were you.”
“See, Rob? This guy’s got the right idea. Probably going through the same drama tonight, huh?” he said, splitting his attention first with blue coat and then with me. I didn’t answer him – didn’t have to.
Well after the train was supposed to arrive, I decided it was too cold to wait and I should try to find a friend’s couch to sleep on. I thanked the two guys for the chat and set off walking down the street in my uncomfortable shoes that had been digging into my heels with every step of the evening. There was blood but I ignored it, because after all, that’s just one tiny pain. There’s plenty more parts of me without.
