I take classes after work two days a week, so I'm usually on the T heading into Boston when most people are packing up and going home. The subway cars get really crowded, and by the time we're downtown, it's stuffy and difficult to move. Yesterday, I found myself en route to Boston near the peak of rush hour on a car without air conditioning. The conductor kept encouraging those of us in the "hot car" to move down the train, but I was worried that I wouldn't make it to the next set of doors before the train left the station. So I just sat there, stewing in the heat, while cranky commuters bustled around me.
Then we pulled into Harvard Square, the doors opened, and a cool breeze blew in. The conductor announced that we'd be standing by for a few minutes. The waiting crowd filed on and took a seat. A man sat playing the cello right outside my car. The timeless, moving sound of his instrument echoed through the cavernous station, and everyone became still. People leaned back in their seats and closed their eyes, enjoying the haunting music and the cool air. It was such a beautiful moment of calm, and the train was much less grumbly when we left the station.
Well done, cello player. Well done, MBTA.
