Detour

Yesterday I got off the train at 30th Street Station, bought my roundtrip fare to Glenside, and waited for the next train to come on track 5 after missing the one at 11am. Being from the south part of California, it didn't occur to me that trains which arrive on the same track are not always going to the same place, and it wasn't until I had already reached Manayunk that I thought to call R to make sure I was heading in the right direction. And surprise, surprise--I had taken the wrong train.

I got off at the next stop after Manayunk, Ivy Ridge. The day was sunny but cold with wind chill, and I found myself alone not knowing where I was and not completely sure how to get to where I wanted to go. In fact, I didn't even know how to get to the other side of the train tracks -- there was a divider fence that ran down the length of the rails for as far as I could see in either direction, and there was no bridge overhead to walk across. For a few minutes I stood there not knowing what to do. Was I supposed to climb the fence? But what if a train came while I was still in the middle? What if somebody came and witnessed the endeavor? After considering the potential pitfalls, I gave up on that idea. And then, I saw them -- bright yellow planks (the same color as my coat) marching through an opening in the fence across the tracks. How had I not seen them earlier? I'm sure whoever painted them painted them yellow for a reason. Sigh... As I walked across the yellow path to the opposite side of the train tracks, I thought of how to tell my sad story to the conductor so he wouldn't charge me extra fare.