I met this elderly woman as I was exiting a bustling NYC subway staircase. She was going at a snail's pace down the steps with a giant suitcase as everyone scurried around her to get by. It was obvious she was struggling, and the unforgiving rush of a NYC rush hour was completely overwhelming her. I reached the top of the staircase, paused, looked down, and decided I'd help her down the steps. I was extremely late to pick something up from a local print studio, and it was closing shortly, but I honestly felt I had to do something. I went back down the stairs and asked her if she'd like some help with her bag. She was initially shocked, because as I was about to learn, she didn't speak a lick of english. I used hand gestures and tried to motion to her bags to ask if she wanted the help--she obliged. You could tell a part of her was afraid I would run off with her bag, but couldn't do the trip herself. When we got down to the platform, i motioned to my own metro card and pointed to her purse. She didn't have one, so I gave her a swipe. She nodded her head, touched my shoulder, and muttered "thank you son" in broken english before she went on her way.

I always wonder where she was going/coming from. Her suitcase made it seem as if she was traveling to NY, but for what I'll never know.