I got an invite to a friend’s birthday party. His house is in Dublin, across the San Francisco Bay. The bay is where the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers meet the Pacific Ocean through a strait. Living in San Francisco, it feels like quite the journey, but for him, it’s just a daily commute. 🚗
To get to his place, a few friends and I hit the road. There are probably several ways to get there (not that I know them), but we decided to take BART. BART is a train that travels through the Transbay Tube, an underwater tunnel that crosses the bay. My friends, who all live in Dublin, had BART passes, but I didn’t, so I needed to buy a ticket. Standing in front of the ticket vending machine, I had no clue how to use it. I nervously tried inserting my card, but it wouldn’t go in. Seriously, a device that even average joes use daily felt like a puzzle in a video game! I have no time for puzzles right now! My friends had already moved to the platform, so I couldn’t ask for help. Then, like an angel, a man appeared next to me. My guardian angel.
Hey, that’s where you put cash.
Me: oh, no.
Look at the bottom left. That’s where you insert your card. Give it a try.
Me: (looks puzzled as if it’s not working)
Flip it over and insert it with the magnetic stripe facing down.
Me: yes!
Where are you going?
Me: Huh?
Where’s your stop?
Me: I’m heading over to my friend’s house.
You need to know your stop to buy a ticket!
Me: Oh! Sorry, Dublin!
Okay, now you see the Dublin fare, right?
Me: Yeah!
Press this button to add a dollar, and this one to subtract a dollar.
Me: Ah, I get it!
Press these buttons below to adjust by five cents.
Me: Ok! I’m done!
Now hit that button.
Me: Yay, I got my ticket!
Think you can manage next time?
Me: Thank you, very much! 🙏
Thanks to a stranger’s miraculous help, I managed to buy my ticket and joined my friends past the gates. One friend, curious, asked what I had been talking about with the man at the vending machine.
What were you chatting about with that guy at the ticket machine?
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