Going for a walk (part 5)

... part 4

I was so anxious about catching the train that I had forgotten about my poor feet, but after a couple of blocks the pain came back with a vengeance. My discomfort increased with every step. I tried to lower the collar of my suit to allow me to breath a bit easier, but it was a very tight fit. My whole body was drenched in sweat. My shoulders were cramped from the weight and restriction of the suit, the sleeves were set in such a way I couldn't raise my arms. I couldn't really move my arms much at all the way they were confined in the suit. My neck was stiff from having my head held by the massive collar of the suit. Even my hands were cramped. The suit had no pockets, so i to hold on tightly to the train ticket. And with the thick stiff mittens it was even harder. I was feeling miserable. The initial excitement had long faded. Maybe that's what Sheila wants? Teach me a lesson and make me hate wearing thick down clothes? Thousands of things come through my mind as I raced to the station. Or at least as I hobbled as fast as my feet could take. Will I catch the train? What time is it? What if I don't?


My tortured feet were on fire as I reached the station. I looked at one of the wall clocks: 8:33! I made it. I sat down in one of the farthest benches and tried to avoid the peering gazes of bored commuters walking past me. At least I had avoided human contact so far. That was until a middle aged lady sat next to me. She was nicely dressed, in a classic camel colored wool coat and hat. I would have moved, but my feet would not budge. Or maybe at that time I was just so broken I just didn't care.
"Oh boy, you sure look like you're warm! They say it's going to get chilly tonight."
I just mumbled, not sure what to say, but she just kept on talking. "That's such a flashy color, but still pretty. You must like standing out!"
I was mortified. "My wife picked it up for me."
"Oh your wife must be worried you might be cold tonight, so thoughtful..." I just grinned under my hood. "Men can sometimes be so headstrong and not dress appropriately for the weather. I'm glad your wife has taken it to make sure her husband is dressed warmly. And you seem to like it, which is always good! That thick hood will make sure you don't get a bad cold, and I love how your mittens are attached. No excuses to wear your warm mittens!" I was so embarrassed I couldn't say anything. And maybe it was good I didn't say anything. "Well young man, my train is here. Have a good evening, enjoy." I looked around and saw the west bound train. I was waiting for the eastbound, so I was glad to wrap up the conversation with the curious lady.
A few minutes later I saw my train arrive. I was hoping that the train would be empty, but I was wrong. Luckily I was able to find an empty discreet seat. I took my seat and stared at the night. When the ticket collector asked for my ticket I tried to look away, but I could still see his puzzled expression. But as he moved on, I tried to focus on my current situation. My feet not feeling as painful, after I had rested them a bit. However my boots were still pinching my toes, and the steep angle at which my feet were held was very tiring. I tried to bend over to remove my boots, but that quickly proved futile. The bulk of the suit, and the relative confinement of the train seat made it impossible to even reach my boots. And even if I had been able to reach them, I was sure I didn't have the dexterity to unbuckle them. Despite my wishful thinking, my feet were trapped in their high heeled prisons for the foreseeable future. I moved up to try to undo my hood, but that also proved difficult. The sleeves of my suit were so stiff that I could raise my arms at the shoulders. I could bend my elbows a little, but it was struggle to reach the top of my collar. I desperately wanted some relief from the heat, but it was obvious that the suit was designed to prevent the wearer from taking it off by himself. Sheila was probably betting that I wouldn't stomach the embarrassment of asking a stranger for help in removing even my hood. And she was probably right.
An older teenage girl sat in the seat next to me, she immediately looked at me with a scowl. She looked around for other available seats, but figured there were none and settled down with her headphones. So much for even attempting to ask someone for help. As the train approached my destination it began to empty. My stop was the second to last, and when it arrived I quickly made my way to the ticket validator and quickly stepped out of the train. I looked for the bus stop for route 72 I was relieved that there was none waiting for the bus...

Epilogue

He was hard to miss, even from a distance. The hot pink really did the trick. He was still wearing this suit in all its glory, the hood fully done and everything. It was fun seeing teeter towards the bus stop in his wedge boots. I guess he didn't get used to them in his walk, and is bound to wear them again in the future for more practice. He looked stiff and tired. That expression soon turned to agitation. He was looking back and forth, at the sign posted near the bus stop and at big wall clock back in the train terminal. It was safe to say he had realized that the last 72 bus had departed at 8pm.
He was most likely feeling desperate and alone, thinking he had no way of contacting me. He didn't imagine that I had installed a GPS transmitter, courtesy of one of geeks in my office's IT department. I was so small, it was hidden inside of the wedge heel of one of his boots.
I let wallow in his dire situation for a good ten minutes, which I'm sure felt like hours for him. I finally turned on the engine and started to drive towards the bus stop, but not before taking out the big leather cuffs I had brought, among other necessary things. As they say: you can never be too careful. This was the end of his walk, but the weekend was only starting.