173: 16.3 Stuck

This is a cheat post because I am writing this the day after said date. But I have a legitimate reason! I arrived home at 11pm yesterday after a testing commute home. I was on-call till 8pm last night and I made good time to arrive at the platform in time for the train home. I got to the station to find that the train was delayed a few minutes. "No worries," I thought. "At least it is still on its way."

The train did eventually arrive and I got in to find it filled with the passengers from Stansted Airport. Not only was it full with human beings, the little free space that was left was occupied by luggages of many different sizes. Not being successful in finding a free seat, I opted to sit on the floor. We were on the platform for quite a while with the train remaining stationary. I thought it was a bit weird, but then the announcement came on.

"Dear passengers, we are being held by a red signal. Just got news that there was someone on the tracks at the station in front of us, and this is currently being dealt with. I will update you with any further news."

The sea of annoyance was palpable in the air. There were shaking of heads and disgruntlement all around. It was a Friday night, after all - I guess that everyone on the train was pretty much done with the week, and just want to get home. Cross-legged on the floor, I too expressed my exasperation with a big sigh. Truth be told, I wasn't feeling my best that day - my throat was acting up and I had just gobbled two paracetamols to mask my symptoms. "Patience, Ayne. Patience. You will be home soon," I said in my head whilst I tried breathing exercises. I called A to tell him what happened, he told me to take a cab straight away. "No way, that is so expensive! Its like I would have to use one day's wages to get home. I'll wait a bit longer."

Half an hour passes, and the announcement goes, "I have not received much update from the scene. Apparently, the police are involved. Again, many apologies for the delay and I will update you as soon as I hear anything."

People were beginning to get restless. An Italian couple in front of me were trying to persuade other passengers to split the cab with them to central London. They succeeded in recruiting groups of two taxis. And off they went, leaving the carriage, bags in tow. On their departure, I took a seat that was left unoccupied and (accidentally) took a short nap.

I was awoken by the buzzing of my phone. It was A calling.
Apparently one hour has now elapsed since I told him that the trains weren't moving. He sounded worried and concerned whist he was frantically trying to find affordable cabs to escort me home. Uber hiked up its price to over 100 pounds - clearly, not an option.
And the other cheaper taxi version was half an hour away - not an option.

"Don't worry, I'll just wait a while longer - hopefully it will resolve soon. Also, my battery is dying." I said. "I'll call you again to check up on you," A replied.

After I semi-recovered from the anaesthesia of my nap, I realised that the carriage was half empty. In my slumber, many people had jumped ship to seek alternative transport. "Just wait for the next announcement," I told myself. After a few minutes, the speaker was back on.

"Again, many apologies for the disruption. I have yet to receive any estimation on when we are to resume our journey. Inspectors are now at the scene to sort out the incident. Many apologies again and thank you for being patient with us."

That was when I stood up, grabbed my bicycle and finally exited the carriage. I have had enough.

(To be continued in part two!)