The One Train went along as it made its way to Manhattan. With every stop, the train gathered more and more people to the point of earning the label of crowded. The sights and sounds of the city warped inside the train as it slid its way to the end of the track, making stops along the way. The early February day brought with it cold temperatures and a dry atmosphere, many people bundled up in standard colors for their daily routine.

I got on at the first stop near Van Cortlandt park and made my way to 34th Street. I put the bag on my lap, pulling out my headphones. Stop after stop, the orange and yellow seats faded away and were replaced with people. Halfway there, a group of kids jump on the train. They stood small, but carried big folders. They opened up to reveal pictures drawn in crayon on computer paper. They were going for a dollar.

The kids split up to expand the business as much as possible. They got a couple of customers like a old woman with a cello and a random mother with no child around. I found a dollar in my pocket and yanked it out. I had to act fast: my stop was next. As I do not look the friendliest, the saleswoman at first avoided me. I held it up and let her know that I was looking for a picture. The folder opened to reveal the pictures. One of them depicted a bunch of people holding hands, a rainbow, the usual suspects. I don’t know what came over me. There was one with just words on it and I just picked that one. We traded off and the kid made her way to the other side of the train and I left my seat for the next stop. The picture was shaded pink and said “what is love”. When I find some tape, I’ll hang it up in my room.