The rain and transportation delays still mattered. I still needed reliable information, a safe way to travel, and a plan for dealing with the possibility that I might not arrive as expected.
The stranger could not decide those things for me, and I did not expect them to.
But by then, I was approaching the problem differently. Instead of treating every delay as another reason to panic, I tried to focus on the next useful step.
I checked for updates when I could. I paid attention to the announcements and asked staff about the options available. I considered how to conserve my phone battery and make contact with the people who needed to know where I was.
The situation remained inconvenient, but it no longer felt quite so overwhelming.
The stranger and I eventually reached a natural pause in our conversation. There was no dramatic farewell, no promise that we would meet again, and no revelation that suddenly explained everything.
