The Man on the Platform

He was near the far end of the platform, seated on a blanket beside a concrete pillar. Everyone else moved past him with purpose. The priest didn’t go to him right away — he watched first. When he finally knelt beside him, the man looked up. His eyes were clear. “You waiting on someone?” the priest asked. “Aren’t we all,” the man said. He told the priest that people don’t usually stop. The priest told him that sometimes they do. When the train called, the priest stood and nodded and walked back along the platform. He paused once at the door of his car and turned back. The man hadn’t moved. He was still watching.