The Metro

Jen and Raquel are my roommates, well Jen is a part-time roommate and this is their version of the evening . . .

from Jen's blog:

tonight i almost fell backwards down the escalator at the metro. heres the scene... raquel is first, then rachel then me. raquel sees the metro and its getting ready to close. she runs for the door. rachel freaks out and sprints, afraid that she is going ot get squashed in the door. then i almost fall backwards down the escalator. but i dont. so i sprint to get on the metro and wonder... what would raquel do if she looked behind her and we werent there. or if rachel was smashed in the door and i was falling down the escalator... we had a good laugh on the metro. breaking our "lets try to be french like when we are in public and not talk, just stare and not smile" we busted out laughing. its good to be an american

From Raquel's blog:

tonight rachel, jen, and i needed to get on the metro. so we put our little metro passes through the metro pass thing, then we get on the escalator. (usually when i choose to just stand and wait till i get to the top the train leaves me, so i am walking up the escalator) so i'm walking up the escalotor and i see that the train is just sitting there, with the doors open. i don't know how long it's been like that, so i walk quickly into the metro and sit down. then rachel and jen come in right after me, sit down and burst out laughing. here's why: when i quickly walked from the escalator to the metro, rachel was confused why i started "running" so she also started running to get into the metro on time because she thought i was going to leave her behind. (which i knew she was right behind me and that there would be enough time for her to get in, and even if she didn't, she would be able to get home easily). so her startled moment made jen a little startled and she started tipping backwards because of her heavy backpack. her heart started beating fast and everything! but we all made it safely, sat down, and waited at least 2 seconds before the metro made the little beepy sound to say the doors are closing.

My version of the evening:

so some keys points were left out of raquel's version of what happened at the metro today... We are all standing on the escalator, waiting patiently (as the french do) as it takes us to the train platform. Jen and I are standing shoulder to shoulder while raquel is about 2 steps in front of us. Out of no where raquel starts sprinting(not just walking as she puts it), but sprinting (enough to burn some calories on the way). I have become very accustomed to copying raquel (as well as the french nationals--I try to blend in)and so as she is sprinting, I'm thinking is this normal, do most people sprint the last couple of steps on the esculator (i've only ridden the metro twice)? In the mist of trying to figure out why my roommate is leaving me(and not at a normal pace, mind you)I decide to follow her. So I start to run,finally realizing she is running to catch the metro. Now i'll be honest and say I've gotten caught in the metro doors (not in france) and so yeah I don't like to be rushed. Anywho I race on the metro, catch up with raquel and take a seat next to her; realizing that she never once looked back to make sure that her non-speaking french roommate actually made it. Needless to say while I am fighting for my presence on the metro, poor jen is fighting for her life on the escalator. In my hurry and excitement to catch up with raquel i gently brush jen as i am running, which throws off her balance (she is carrying a heavy backpack)and gravity takes over. At the last possible second she grabs the rail, preventing her from falling backwards down the escalator--now remember raquel is calmly seated on the metro, i'm sitting across from her shock and dismayed that she left me, when jen arrives slightly out of breath. As Jen and I recount the events of the last few minutes (where our lives flashed before our eyes), we break the french code, laughing hysterically.