10 Minutes

Jacin was completely unaware of how fate would step in this day and forever change his life. When he strolled out of the dark, smoke-filled bar, he was thrilled about what was held in his hand. He noticed the air was fresher than he could remember in many weeks, which elated him even more.
He once again glanced over the divorce documents that Jody had just served on him. Soon he would hand them over to George at the Trax station, hoping they would spark many days of lost conversation and intimacy.
Back inside the bar spirits were also high, though more because of the magnitude of the spirits being drank by Jody, Kat, Josh and Eddie. On the other hand, learning he had made friends with his boyfriend’s wife put Josh well into an intoxicated state that his friends amicably call "doing the T. rex" — bounding heavy-footed through the bar, arms pulled in and dangling close to his chest, and ranting incoherently to anyone who’d try to listen. On more than one occasion this behavior led to speed-dialing Taxi Jerry, the good-humored, photo-snapping taxi driver who catered to the community. (You never step out of Taxi Jerry’s cab without at least two incriminating photos of you licking someone’s face, smoking three cigarettes at once or flashing the taxi next to you at a red light.)
Fearing further embarrassment by Josh, Eddie called Taxi Jerry. Luckily, it was still early enough in the evening that Taxi Jerry wasn’t backed up with calls, and he told Eddie he’d be at the bar in 10 minutes. The trio rounded up Josh and made it out of the bar with very few more casualties.
When Taxi Jerry’s plum-colored cab pulled up to the curb, the foursome packed into the backseat like sardines, instructing their typical after-bar stop at Beto’s Mexican restaurant for nachos, smothered burritos and horchata.
Jacin glanced at his watch, finding that the train was now 10 minutes late. This coupled with the seemingly unattended toddler running amuck on the Trax platform was now diminishing his spirit. He shifted himself on the bench, closed his eyes and pictured a romantic and intimate rest of the night with George. Suddenly he felt a light pressure on his legs, much like when his Maine Coon cat Freddy Kreuger jumps in his lap. The young girl that was bouncing about the platform was now draped over his legs, a huge smile shining around her two front teeth.
Her arm was extended, offering Jacin what looked like a chewing gum wrapper.
"Thank you," he said taking the gift, a bit annoyed that whomever the girl’s parents were, they should be smacked upside the head with a dipshit stick for allowing her to interact with strangers.
The little girl quickly dropped off his lap and ran off in search of more Pearls of Refuse.
Just as Jacin drifted back to thoughts of George, he heard the train approaching like an arrow through trees. He opened his eyes, checked his watch again: 8:52 p.m. He looked down the track and noticed the young girl playing dangerously close to the edge of the platform. He jumped out of his seat after her.
The time was 8:52 p.m. according to the digital clock built into the dash of George’s pickup truck. He’d been waiting for Jacin for over 15 minutes, and hadn’t even seen a southbound train the entire time.
He called Jacin’s cell phone.
Straight to voice mail.
Though George felt angry, his stomach suddenly contracted like being jerked awake by a nightmare. Fearing the worst, he started the truck and squealed out of the parking lot headed for the station he assumed Jacin would have gotten on the train.
When George approached the station, he noticed some commotion, several people huddled in a group. He slammed the truck into park and barreled out of it. He could hear a small child wailing as he neared the platform, and through the interval spacing of the crowd of people, he could see the body of a man lying motionless on the concrete surrounded by a smattering of paper.
To be continued…