On Thursday, I was going to an early-morning escorting shift. When I entered the car at Jarvis, an older man sitting diagonally from where I headed asked me something. I have to admit, shamefully, that, given the time (6:05 AM) and the location, I expected him to be one of those folks who spend nights on CTA and thought he would be catching up on sleep, but he was wide awake and asked me something. I turned to him to hear better what he was asking.
— Are you a teacher?
I paused for a brief second. Am I?
— Oh, I used to be a teacher! Not anymore, but you know, once a teacher – forever a teacher.
— I thought so! And what did you teach when you were a teacher?
— Math!
— Mathematics?
— Yes, and later some information technologies.
— Or, so you were a high school math teacher? Calculus and such, not just elementary math!
— Yes!
— And what are you doing now?
That question made me pause for a little bit longer.
— Well, I am still doing information technology. Information management. Databases.
— Oh, so you keep our information safe from all these agents?
— That as well, among other things.
— Nice! I have teachers in my family; that’s why I figured it out right away!
He kept going, but by that time it became really loud in the car, since we started passing a noisy area. I knew he was eager to continue the conversation, but with my limited comprehension of AAVE and the increasing noise, I could only smile and nod, so he wished me well and, after “nice talking to you,” moved back.
The CTA at 6 AM! Who would’ve thought!
