Class would begin at 10:45 that morning, so naturally, Rebecca was already on her way to the subway by 9:45. She took the 6 train every morning from 96th street station heading downtown, and depending on the density of people on the local track, is how she would determine whether or not she’d transfer to an express at 86. On most mornings, the ends of the train were sparsely filled, which meant it’d be the perfect place for her to relax. This particular morning route to the subway was lively with birds, many of which would flutter away if you got too close while others would just awkwardly shuffle to the side. Even though NYC holds a low opinion of them, Rebecca has always admired the pigeons above the other birds. It was something about their colors and their dove like body proportions which appealed to her. But soon enough she made it to the 96 street station, then after crossing the turnstile and boarding the train, a sort of auto-pilot kicked in. The morning trains are meant for daydreaming.

And on this morning she thought of a life after college. A life where she could have her own garden, with maybe a chicken coop full of hens and rabbits. An environmentally and economically efficient lifestyle, where stress was no longer an impediment on her health. And where she saw the ones she loved every night, rather than once every few weeks.

I have to make sure that I get my essay done by Thursday night. I’m not going to have time to do it once I go home. Sarah already asked me if I could help her with her homework this weekend when I get back. I guess I’ll try to do my reading assignments tonight, and then start the first draft of my essay tomorrow. I can’t forget to email Professor Shelby either. Oh! And I need to email Professor Gilmore and let him know that I’ll be missing class next week. I’m going to forget all of this; let me set an alarm.

She set four different alarms on her phone to remind her of all the things on her mental to-do list. Jessie Altman, who sat across from her on the train, paid very little attention to what others were doing. But she happened to notice the ways in which Rebecca’s facial expressions mimicked her thoughts, almost as if she was speaking to her out loud. Jessica observed her expressions change from a relaxed contemplation, to a frustrating thought and then watched her to take out her phone, which Jessica though meant that her frustration came from a recent conversation with someone. She hoped that the girl was alright, but took no real stake in the business of a stranger anyway.

Soon enough, it was time for Rebecca to leave the train and make her way down the street to Baruch. And so, she did.