It was about 6:30am and the subway car was already filling up with passengers. A party of three boarded. A man in a faded blue cap, blue shirt, brown shorts, and glasses rolling a large luggage bag with two smaller bags attached, was accompanied by two children, approximately age 5 or 6, a boy and girl, each wearing backpacks. There were two spaces available-- one of which was an end seat-- and the man guided the little girl to sit. She did. He then asked the little boy to sit next to her. He wouldn't, and set his lower lip in a way to further let his guardian know he wasn't budging.
The guardian looked tired. But he took the boy's refusal in stride and sat on the end seat on the right hand side of the girl. As soon as he sat, he asked the boy again if he wanted to sit. No. Then the girl gestured to the guardian that she wanted to switch sides. So he gets up and moves to her left. She's now sitting on the end seat. Initially a few feet away, the little boy inches closer. The guardian asks again if he wants to sit down. This time the boy nods a yes. So, the guardian gets up, and now the little girl complains-- it's not clear to me if she's complaining about the guardian getting up or complaining because she's had to move down so the boy, who looks rather pleased with the situation, is now sitting on the end seat. A passenger who was sitting next to the guardian, moves down, making more room so the guardian retakes his seat. With the game of musical chairs coming to an end, the boy is on the end seat, the girl is to his left and the the guardian is to her left, all appear to settle in for the rest of their train ride. But when I looked over about 15 minutes later, somehow the girl had reclaimed the end seat and the boy was now sitting on the luggage in front of the guardian-- his little body angled towards him, while looking off to the side, as the guardian quietly spoke to him.
I felt for the guardian. Here he was traveling via subway with rather heavy and cumbersome looking luggage, early in the morning, with two little ones-- neither one shy in communicating their feelings. But I was also proud of the guardian. He looked tired, but he was quietly engaged. He was definitely present with the kids. I hoped for the very best in their day's adventures.