| A Bad Walk Home |
| Last night after work I decided I would go to the coffee shop and unwind before fighting the pedestrians on the streets to get to the L. I pick up a Reader, and settle in with a nice soy latte�. I didn�t start drinking my coffee right away, because I wanted to let it cool, and sit back and enjoy the ambiance. I flip to section four and start giggling to Dan Savage, when my thoughts where interrupted by a piercing, �10 minutes folks�. The shop was closing. I didn�t realize how early downtown coffee shops closed, I guess they are only there for the working, and not the relaxing. I scoop up my paper, have my latte� poured into a to-go cup and went on my way home. I get to the train station and enter my CTA card�.$0.95 cents was my balance, and I needed $1.50 to ride. This was not a big deal accept I had spent the last of my money on the latte�. I leave the station, and go to the nearest ATM. I insert my card, knowing fully well that I had at least $38.00 in my account. My transaction was denied due to insufficient funds. There must have been some mistake, but naturally that is where my karma for the evening would lead me. I sort of giggled at the choices I had made for the evening, stopping to get coffee and all. Until it hit me that I didn�t have away home. Remembering that I still had an uncashed paycheck in my wallet I headed to the nearest Currency Exchange. It was about 6:15pm when I arrived at the already closed Currency Exchange. I thought to myself, if only I hadn�t stopped for that latte� I would have made it in time. How stressful is my job any way that I needed to unwind. I could have made it fifteen minutes earlier and been able to cash my check. Better yet if I hadn�t stopped for coffee, I would still have enough money for the CTA, and it wouldn�t matter what time the Currency Exchange closed. So I started walking home, racking my brain for friends I could call for help in this situation, and realizing there were none, I was down on my luck, and resigned to the fact that I would be walking home. I walked all the way up to the corner of LaSalle and Chicago from Clark and Lake. I was tired and cold. Then like a mirage in the desert there it was, a 24 hour Currency Exchange. There I was able to cash my check. I purchased a new CTA card walked just a few more blocks to the red line and headed home. |
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