he makes me smile

i've had a stressful day at work. it's 20 degrees outside, i'm tired, i'm ready for dinner, and i can't wait to get home. i put my ipod on and i'm in my own world. i see where i'm going and what's around me, but i don't really notice who's standing near me or who i'm walking by. i see that the street light says i could walk, so i go. 3 blocks later, i walk down the stairs to the subway. i take my metrocard out of the pocket in my bag that is designated to the necessities of my work day: metrocard for my commute, work id and office key to get in and out of the building, and cell phone for my sanity. i look towards the subway turnstiles and swipe my card. the light turns to go and i walk through. i walk halfway down the platform along the tracks to the pay phone against the wall. if i get on the train at that point, then when i get out, i'll be right at the bottom of the stairs i need to take to transfer to the next train. it's 6:45 and i'm waiting for the uptown N/R/W to start the first part of my commute home. i listen to the music on my ipod, watch the people walk by, and wait. i'm waiting longer than usual. during rush hour, the subways come frequently. i'm not waiting for too long, but i'm impatient when i'm trying to get home. finally, i see the light of the train and hear the rumbling come near. the N has arrived.

i don't get a seat. i stand and hold onto a pole. the man sitting below me notices that i'm standing and moves his coat over a little on the seat to make room for me to sit. i notice, but he doesn't know that i notice. i just look straight ahead reading the subway poster and listening to my music. 3 stops later i get off the train, walk up the stairs and enter the platform to the uptown 6 train, the worst train to be taking during rush hour. the 4/5/6 is the only train along the east side, so it's notorious for always being unbearably crowded. i'm still in my own world listening to my ipod. i notice that everyone is around me and the group of people in front of me are walking too slow, and the guy in the long coat is standing in my way, and i wonder why there are always guys hanging out along the wall and not near the tracks - are they waiting for someone or do they just like people watching during the busiest time of the day? i'm annoyed. there are a lot of people waiting along the tracks for the subway. that means the subway is not running frequently. it's going to be even more crowded than usual, and it is always crowded. i walk all the way down to the end of the platform to get on the second to last train just to increase my chances of being on one of the trains that is less crowded than those in the middle.

as i'm walking, in the midst of the people, and my ipod, and my irritation, i see him. i see his keyboard and hear some sounds in between the music in my ears. he has gray hair, a hunchback, and he is wearing a tan coat. he plays the keyboard and people stand around and watch. he has 4 dolls, about 2 feet tall, standing around his keyboard. 2 are on his keyboard and 2 are on the floor in front. one doll is a princess, another is in camouflage. the dolls stand upright, and then move side to side. they're dancing. an old man is playing a keyboard on one of the busiest subway platforms in the city and he has battery-operated dancing dolls around him. he makes me smile. i look up and make eye contact with a young guy with thick-framed glasses and a gray coat who is watching the old man and the dancing dolls. we're both thinking the same thing. we smile at each other. i laugh and i walk on to catch my train.

i've seen this subway performer many times before. the first time was a couple years ago when i was living downtown. i saw him at the fulton st. station while i was with my friends. we laughed, watched him while we were waiting for the train, and talked about him over dinner. i've seen him play in the union square station and most recently i've seen him a couple times in the 59th street station along the 4/5/6. i like his originality. after a quick yahoo and youtube search, i discover that his name is professor eduardo alvarado. he's a 76 year old music teacher from ecuador who has been performing in the subways for 4 years. i hope i see him tomorrow - he makes busy new yorkers take a breath and smile. and i appreciate that.