174: 17.3 Stuck (ii)

Across from the station was a local cab company. It prides itself from being dirt cheap, and it seems to be stuck in the past - one can only book cabs through calling in, and the cabs only accept cash payments. Who carries cash these days?! But as it was quickly approaching midnight, I was desperate to get home. Already in the office, there were a few others whose commute was rudely interrupted by the delays. I went up to the counter, stated my name and destination.

"Are you bringing your bike with you?" said the lady on the other side of the glass window.
"Don't worry, it folds."
"Ah, right. Won't be too long, pet."

I took a seat in the waiting area and noticed my tummy grumbling - a sign that I was now not only frustrated and sleepy, but now also hungry. A very bad combination of emotions. I managed to get a packet of pringles out of the vending machine to temporarily quiet my stomach down.

"Tottenham Hale! Your cab is outside waiting for you."

I lifted my now folded bike out into the cold and helped the driver to put it into the boot. After taking a seat at the back, the same silver haired woman from before knocked on the window. Two men with luggage were right behind her.

"Hi pet, these two men also want to get to Tottenham Hale. Do you mind sharing the trip with them?"
Yes! Less cab fare for me! I nodded by head, and took a seat at the front. Shortly after, another man running from the station also came up to the cab asking if he could join the convoy. He must have heard our destination and jumped at the chance to escape this public transport mess. So in the end, the cab headed to Tottenham carrying a total of four passengers instead of just me.

Throughout the journey, I was quiet - I had little energy to attempt small talk or be mentally present in anyway. But for entertainment, I overheard the conversations that the three men had in the back of the car.

One said, "Honestly, if that person died. There is little that anyone could have done. They should have just moved it and carry on."
"I think the delay was maybe because it was maybe crime-led? Police and inspectors involved doesn't sound like a simple suicide."

Then they carried on talking about their plans this Friday night. All three of them were heading to Angel in central London for drinks with friends. Two of them had Scottish accents whilst the other, I assume was from Italy.

"My friend is waiting for me at the pub. And I feel so bad because I am late. She is being nice about it but I do still feel awful. She is already drunk waiting for me!" said the Italian man. I remembered it was St Patricks Day a few days ago - probably that was the general occasion for boozy drinks. But in my ignorance, it may just be that this is just another typical Friday night activity for Europeans.

After long last, we finally arrived at Tottenham Hale. I spotted A waiting at the station. I paid the cab driver my share (15 pounds as opposed to 50 pounds if I was alone) and A helped push my bicycle back home. Needless to say, it was a very testing night and I was glad to finally be in my warm familiar home with a nice, hot cup of tea.

In the end, this ordeal made me think of where I was in the spectrum of people who patiently hope. When the train stopped, there were a handful of those who headed out immediately to find alternative ways to get to where they want to go. I would classify them as the skeptics or those who held little hope in the system and earliest to independently solve the problem at hand. In hindsight, probably they did the right thing in leaving as early as they did - they saved alot of time. On the other end of the spectrum, I was by far not the last person to jump ship, but I certainly wasn't amongst the first either. Even one hour in, I held tightly on to the hope that things would sort themselves out, and the train would start moving again. But I did get to a point (although not as quickly as others) where I thought enough was enough, I can't sit idle and do nothing but wait anymore. I took affirmative action.

So in the scheme of things, I am probably in the middle. I am not too patient, but neither am I inpatient. Unlike others who act quickly, it takes time for me to take action. But at the same time, I do not just wait and do nothing. I am neither a skeptic or too hopeful. I lie somewhere in between. And being on the equator of extremes is a good place to be, I think.