In a passing moment she said “The world goes around sharing the sunshine”. It struck me hard, like the noise of the metra train rolling on the tracks on the Wrigley and Chestnut intersection. Her voice had depth of space, still expanding, and her eyes glitter like a million shining stars, getting farther and farther away and shrugging red light. By the time I convinced my self that she was special, that she can bend time and space, that she can read mind, and that she can heal - she was gone. I stood there at Murphy’s, feeling the earth rotating beneath my feet, the very first time in my life.

It all started when I decided to take a train to Lake Michegin. On the train I saw an old man whispering to himself. I took the seat next to him, scared of his appearance, but mostly intrigued to hear his mumblings. Within seconds I realized he was not talking to himself, but was talking to an empty seat in front of him. It seemed he was answering questions about the pain he feels in his arms. I looked around the bus and it felt like every passenger is staring at me. I was terrified to witness an old man taking to an empty seat, and every visible life on the train starring at me. It was like a nightmare and I wanted to wake up in haste. However, realizing that this is real, I decided to complete the rest of the journey standing near the metra doors.

As I was about to get up, the old man turned to me and said “Son, where do you get off?” I wanted to say Lake Michigan but in stead I replied ‘Chestnut’. It was not unusual for me to get off at Chestnut as most of my train journey’s end there. Brian, Tricia, Christine, Ravi and Andrew all live by Chestnut. But today I wanted to go to Michigan to sit by the lake and enjoy the much awaited sunshine in Chicago. However, out of habit and anxiety, I announced Chestnut to the old man. Before I could even correct myself, he said “God is great. Son, please help me walk to the taxi stand, my shoulders hurt”.

I was trapped. Now correcting my destination would suggest to him that I am ignorant and disrespectful. I felt the weight of ‘reputation of my generation’ on my shoulders and said “Of course Sir, Please don’t worry about it”. He smiled back and started his mumblings, in a much better tone. I looked around again and everyone was busy doing their own thing. It felt normal again. I browsed through my phone to check the metra schedule. The next train to Michigan after we get off at Chestnut will be in 15 minutes - I decided to ride that after assisting the old man.

I got off at Chestnut. Series of small incidents took place, and next thing I am doing is sitting in a Taxi with Mr. Davis and taking him to the Northwester Memorial Hospital. We reach there, and I alert the nurse about his shoulder condition. He gives me a huge smile and I leave him to get back to my life. I decide to skip lake Michigan and in stead go to Murphy’s for lunch, located at the corner of chestnut and Wrigley. The sky was clear and the sun was shinning bright, it was a perfect day.

I was sitting at the sidewalk area enjoying my lunch, and a girl stopped by and asked if I would recommend the food at Murphy’s. I smiled at her and said “This place serves the best calamari and home grown beer”. She looked up to the sky and said “I hear it is raining cats and dogs at the lake today. You did good to get off here in stead and enjoy the lovely day. The world goes around sharing the sunshine.” She smiled, and before I could even construct her words my head, she left. I was chilled to every bone in my body.

Who was she? The question has beckoned me often since then. Today I feel that I have my answer. She was a ‘choice’. I could choose her to be my faith or I could choose her to be a stranger who spoke some coincidental words. However, I do recognize at that point in time - it did not feel like a coincidence at all.