By the time we finished talking, the station no longer felt quite as hostile as it had earlier in the evening. It was still loud, crowded, and cold, but it had become a place where an unexpected conversation had made the time pass more easily.
Then the stranger asked me a question that brought the conversation in an unexpected direction.
They wanted to know whether I had anyone waiting for me at home.
I paused before answering.
It was a simple question, but it made me think about the people I had been trying to contact, the messages I had not been able to send, and the worry that someone might be wondering where I was.
I explained that I had people who cared about me, but the poor signal and low battery had made communication difficult.
The stranger nodded. They understood how unsettling it could be to travel without knowing when you would arrive.
