God, I REALLY hate working out. I got up at 6:15AM today to go to the gym before work. Going to the gym sucks. It's not even 10AM and I feel like it's 2PM. And we are in the middle of a heat wave that makes Vietnam seem temperate and the freakin' gym had no air conditioning. I thought I was going to die. On the stairmaster, about to drop to the floor.

So on my way home at 7:30AM, I must have run into 6 people I knew. Sweaty, red faced and bitter, and I run into everyone and their grandmother based in the metro area. Why does that happen???? It's totally bizarre. And what's up with all these people up and at 'em at the crack of ass. Who knew? It's like a little underworld of early risers. I had no idea so many people were a part of this little underworld. Then again, they probably don't know about my small world of freaks leaving at 8:30 AM for work, or the shift that leaves after me. The whole urban commute phenomenon is so bizarre...but I guess it's no more bizarre than someone's suburban commute via car.

So I get to the subway this morning and I get in line to buy a Metrocard. I see this girl, fresh-faced with freckles and her red-brown, straight hair pulled back in a long ponytail and not a day over 23 standing somewhat bewildered and looking around her - almost like she needed to gather her bearings. But I was in line and really didn't give her another thought. Until I got up to the window and she came up to me and tapped me on the arm. I turned and saw her, and she was covered in sweat from standing in that dungeonous underground heat pit, totally stressed and her eyes were watering and she opened her mouth and what I heard was something like this tumble of words, "EXCUSE ME, I've never done this before and honestly I don't even know what to do but I'm on my way to work and I have a meeting this morning and need to be on time but I just realized that I forgot my wallet and so I don't have my metrocard and I don't have any money to buy a token and I don't even have my atm card to get money and I just need to get on a train and I am wondering if you could help me because I just don't know what to do and I have to get on the train and get work." Big Breath. I put my hand up and said "Say no more. I've been you a number of times and I know that feeling. Don't worry about it." Then she started on this "please, take my card and call me so I can pay you back. Please take it." And she shoved it between my finger and my wallet while I was trying to balance my change, my wallet, the Times and the card I just bought. I tried to give her $5 dollars and she refused claiming that she'd be fine once she got to work and I kept thinking, what's she going to do at work? She's probably new - she was sooooo young - and who is going to give her money for lunch? So, I swiped my card for myself, and then for her, and we parted on the other side of the turnstiles, with her thanking me again and me reassuring her that this happens to me all the time. Truely, it happened to me a couple of months back and some woman on the bus paid for me. It's such a terrible feeling. It's even worse when you're just out of college because you're here in this big city and you're totally living paycheck to paycheck and you don't want to borrow money from anyone because that will throw you off the meager budget you have to spend and you don't want to be late for work because you don't know yet that you can push the line and BE late and no one is going to say anything to you and a little thing like this just totally freaks you out when it happens. And then you get to work and you forget all about it. Until you are on the other of the situation a couple of years later.

So I end up looking at her card while riding the train and I realize that she works at the same company as my roommate. So I get into work and call my roommmate and tell her the story and she's cracking up and says she'll e-mail this girl. I just got the forwarded correspondence and the girl was surprised at the coincidence, but explained that she found her wallet - she had left it on her desk at work last night, and is trying to send me $$ via my roommates interoffice mail. Which I have refused.

I'm just happy to have returned the favor. Which reminds me, I owe a taxi driver $$$ for a free ride last summer, when I drunkenly left my wallet in a restuarant. This might have been a reminder to repay that favor.

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