You never know what you'll see on a Toronto subway ride. Doctors and researchers step aboard at the Queen's Park subway station, art students at St. Patrick Station, lawyers and law students at Osgoode Station, tourists at Union Station.
One day, while I was just passing time, counting the number of commuters using electronic devices (I once counted 125 people texting, talking, or listening to music), the subway car was "invaded" with women dressed up as little schoolgirls in uniforms, and men dressed as super heroes. I knew they weren't real. I'm not sure I can say the same for some of them...serious comicon fans take themselves...seriously!
Last Thursday, I rode to a neighbourhood far, far away, in search of a prized cleaning product that zaps away stains, and makes metal gleam so powerfully, you need sunglasses in your kitchen! Two young girls were seated across from me, playing an elaborate hand game that would make Rock, Paper, Scissors looks like...child's play. The perfectly groomed woman in black and hot pink, seated beside me, smiled as she turned towards me, saying, "they're having so much fun!"
It was a handgame neither of us had ever seen before. When the game picked up speed, and their little hands and arms were flayling in every direction, the lady beside me gave me a tiny nudge with her elbow, the way my Mum would nudge me to get me to look at something wonderfully funny, or very special. Together, we watched these two incarnations of our former selves - authentic little girls - and smiled. It was a lovely moment between strangers on the Toronto subway. When we got off at our subway stop, the lady beside me, took a moment to thank the two girls for being such "great entertainment" on our ride.
My return trip home was slowed by a minor disruption in subway service...something about power being cut at the Broadview Station.
At that moment, a real life superhero had rescued a blind man from the path of an oncoming subway train. The man had accidentally walked off the platform, and fallen onto the tracks below. His 24 year old rescuer heard cries for help and - without thinking of himself - jumped in to save him. Landscaper, Kyle Busquine says his actions were, "just a very basic and a compassionate, human thing to do".
Meantime, the conductor of a subway train which had been stopped on the other side of the tracks, ran to cut the power, so that no one would be electrocuted stepping onto the tracks.
Two other heroes, arrived on the scene, and helped Busquine hoist the blind man to safety. Busquine says he's "super thankful they came down in after me, because I would not have been able to do what I did by myself." He still doesn't know who they were.
Julie Caniglia, the woman who witnessed it all, posted a photograph of the three heroes on social media. Kyle Busquine is the man in the animal print t-shirt, in the middle of Caniglia's photo. Caniglia says, "we all need a bit of positive reinforcement that there's some great people out there." The hero of this story says, "I'm happy this story resonates with so many people".
There are superheroes who take the subway, and there are superheroes who take the subway.
PS: You'll never believe what happened the night of Canada Day! I was at a daylong Trinidadian/Guyanese/Canadian BBQ with friends who wanted to pick up groceries, and a small bottle of Advil, before heading to another friend's 28th storey home to see the fireworks. I walked over with them, because I know all the shortcuts in my neighbourhood. We couldn't find the Advil in any of the grocery aisles, so I went to ask a guy at the checkout. I waited while he finished serving a customer. When the customer turned to face me, I thought I recognized her, and as she began walking away, I said, "are you the woman who was on the subway on Thursday, when we watched those two girls?" She recognized me before I even finished the sentence. "I wrote about you!" I said. Her eyes teared up, and she said it was such a special moment on the subway. We shook hands, introducing ourselves. Her name is Shirley, and she was heading home to read this blogpost. I have the BEST life!
Photographs Copyright of Ruth Adams, Widow's Endorphins Photographic Images Incorporated.
Except that amazing photograph of the three heroes of Broadview, taken by Julie Caniglia.
Except that amazing photograph of the three heroes of Broadview, taken by Julie Caniglia.
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