A Heart-lifting Subway Story

nyminute:

This morning on the subway, there were two men in my car, sitting across from each other. One was a very dapper looking white business man, dressed in a very fashion-conscious suit. The other was a younger, very tall black man, who was pulling on a suit jacket and tucking in his white shirt. When he got to putting on his tie, he pulled it around his neck and tried tying it. His first few attempts didn’t work and he was getting upset. The older man was watching him.

“Can I help you out with that?” he asked.

The younger man laughed. “Please.” At the next stop, the older man moved to the seat next to the younger one, and he began tying the man’s tie. The young man started explaining that today was his first “real job interview” and that he’s never had to tie a tie before. The older man, who you could now tell was openly gay, said, “My father taught me when I was 4. And honey, I’ve now tied more ties in my life than I’d like to count!” They laughed. “There, all set,” he said, as he finished tying the tie right before his stop. “Good luck today!” he yelled as he quickly ran out of the train. As the train started moving again, the young man stood up, and checked himself out in the window’s reflection. He smiled.

Here they were: two strangers, from different generations, different sexualities, different races, and different backgrounds. And yet in those few minutes, they came together and didn’t only brighten each other’s days, but that of everyone in the subway car.