Is it a good deed if you tell someone about it? If so, this isn’t a good deed. But it was the right thing to do.
I had to take a mid-day train back home to go to a print run. In the seat in front of me were two college students. I noticed them when I got on because the young woman had a really short haircut — and I thought it suited her. They had a bunch of bags and backpacks with them.
Once the train rolled out of 30th Street, the conductor came down the aisle shouting for “TICKETS AND PASSES.” When he got to the college pair he stood over them and grumbled.
“When you you buy these tickets, man?” he asked. He already knew.
“Why?” said the college student. English wasn’t his first language. My guess is that he was Peruvian.
“These tickets are no good. They were bought in 2007. No good. Ten bucks” said the conductor. He was exercising control over his little corner of the world.
“There’s no expiration date on the tickets, sir” said the college student.
“Well, they’re no good. One hundred-eighty days. That’s all they’re good for. Ten bucks.” The conductor took out his receipt pad.
“Well, what do we do?” said the college student? “I bought these tickets. Now they’re no good?”
“Ten bucks,” said the conductor. By that time the train was pulling into Overbrook.
“What do you want us to do?” said the college student. “We don’t have any money.”
“You’ll have to get off at the next stop,” said the conductor. “That, or ten bucks.”
I watched this whole thing brewing. The SEPTA conductor had discretion. The kid wasn’t trying to pull a scam. He had tickets; and he didn’t know that tickets expire. Honest mistake. But Mr. SEPTA wasn’t buying it. He was being a real jerk.
The college students started to collect their things. They were going to get off the train eights stops early. The legitimately didn’t have any money. I did.
“Here’s ten bucks,” I said. They looked genuinely surprised. And that made everything good for the day.
“Thank you. Thank you very much,” they said. I smiled.
And that ended a simple little transaction. I felt better. They felt better. And the conductor didn’t get his way. What more could you ask for on a morning on SEPTA in Philadelphia, PA?
