Tunnel Vision

By Cindy Salinas

Sitting in the moving train waiting for… six more stops. Ugh. I open up my phone and change the song. I put on “Pink + White” by Frank Ocean. I look out the windows. Pitch black with a reflection of me. Floating, dead eyes. Beside my reflection, I see another woman looking back at me. I turn around to see her sitting in the seat across from me. This woman is strangely  beautiful. She’s no longer looking at me and instead is reading a book. I can’t see the title of it, but I can see her hand covering the front. She has a chipped black nail color. She has chocolate brown hair with bangs that are a little too long. Golden hoop earrings. Big full lips. Eyebrows a bit bushy. Her skin is so pale, she almost looks sick. She’s dressed for 90 degree weather in the middle of January. She’s wearing flip flops, jean shorts, and a yellow tank top. She must be freezing! I try not to stare, but I’m fascinated by her. How does she walk around this world so… free? So… comfortable?

I try to catch a glimpse of the book title, but she’s so captured by the story. She puts the open book on her lap, tucks the hair behind her ears and continues to read. Leans into her book and starts to bite her nails. I look around to see if anyone else is questioning her clothing in this time of year, but everyone else is lost in their phones and headphones. I turn around and take a look back at the reflection, noting that I’m doing the same exact thing.

I turn back around and this time she’s looking up at me. Deep, brown eyes. Caramel eyes to match her hair. So big. So wide. She immediately looks back down at her book and continues to read. How is it that every time I look away, she’s looking at me?