Where Are You In Your Life?
Ginny and I rode the subway from Brooklyn to Manhattan. We exited the tunnel, burst into bright sunshine, and began to cross the Manhattan Bridge into lower Manhattan. Through the windows, we watched the city grow larger. Skyscrapers stretched to the scattered clouds above them. It was intimidating - miles of buildings - a wall of concrete and glass.
The river fell below and behind us. We plunged underneath the city and to our transfer point at West 4TH street. We walked off the train and looked around. The station had three levels of tracks - all underground. "Which way do we go?" I asked.
We climbed the stairs to the next level. Ginny pointed. "Look! There's a subway map over there." Ginny pointed.
"I see it."
We walked up to the six-foot high display with the map of the New York City subway on it. Colored lines, indicating the various subway lines, crisscrossed the map. It looked like someone had spilled multicolored spaghetti over the face of it. I found the dark orange line that marked the "D" train we'd rode from Brooklyn and followed it with my finger.
"What are you doing?" Ginny asked.
"I'm trying to find this station on the map."
"Do you think that big red circle with the 'You are here' sign in the middle might be a clue?"
"Oh! You could be right." We burst into hysterics.
That moment has been a joke between us for years. Whenever I'm upset over something I can't find, Ginny says, "Do you think the big red circle might be a clue." We laugh again. I relax and find my goal.
I recently lost my job. As I search the internet for work, I wonder where my map is. Which way do I go from here? Where's the red circle with the arrow telling me, "You are here".
Copyright © 2008 Michael T. Smith
Michael is an award winning writer and has additional stories to touch your heart.