faces

My hands reach for the blue upholstery in the tram. It feels worn, as if all the hands of the world touched it. I sit down. The train is empty. I look out of the window, see children on bicycles, the cobbler, the woman from the pharmacy and several pedestrians busy passing me. Two stops later, a man and a woman enter the tram, they sit opposite me diagonally. They talk quietly, then he looks into the faces, sitting absently in the train with us, she looks out of the window. Short moments later, she puts her hand slowly and heavily in front of her eyes, she seems very calm. I look at her. Notice that her lower lip trembles slightly. She cries. Shortly after, I see a soft tear shining in the sunlight. She is very calm. Seizes silently for a handkerchief in her pocket, wipes the tear away. She raises her head and looks focused again out of the window. For a minute she is controlled, her eyes like a tunnel, now and then she catches her reflection in the glass, her mouth twitches again. The tram stops, a few people get in, a few people get off. Nobody notices her. Nobody notices me. Softly, another tear rolls out of her eyes, she does not wipe her away. She knows there are more to come. She sits quietly in her seat, her hands in her lap, her eyes closed. Almost unnoticed, more tears roll down her cheeks. She tries to control herself, to breathe quietly and tugs her headscarf. Again and again she manages to stop, to sit quietly and look out the window. When I see the next tear glisten on the already dried cheeks, I close my eyes and imagine how I get up. I sit down next to her, look at her briefly and put my hand on hers. She is warm and a bit wet. I leave my hand and close my eyes. We do not know each other and we will not get to know each other. I do not ask her name, I do not ask why she is sad. I just sit quietly beside her. If you can not take anything to relieve her, you can not give her anything to make it easier. The train shakes, no one looks at us. Nobody notices something. I sit, feel her hand and her heavy, almost inaudible breath. She is strong. Suddenly the tram rings: “Next stop: Hauptbahnhof”. My eyes open, she is still sitting in the same place the view outside, the eyes glassy. The wet handkerchief covered with both hands. I can not find my hand near her. Was not I even getting up?