The train from Portland, Oregon, to Seattle, Washington, stops at approximately six stations between the two cities. Each of those stops is about a minute or two long; precisely long enough for people to get on or off the train. No dilly-dallying, no waiting, grab your bags and get going.
In Kelso, Washington, there is a waist-high fence that separates people with train tickets standing on the platform from people simply waiting for friends or family to arrive or depart.
As we pulled up to the Kelso station today a ticket-holder was giving a good-bye kiss to his girlfriend. And wishing her tonsils a fond farewell as well. They were making out so long that the train had started moving by the time they broke their kiss. I think the guy was trying to pull one of those moves like you see in the movies, where the fellow runs up to the slowly moving train and hops on board.
But apparently that doesn't work in real life. So by the time my car was passing him, he was standing there with his hands up in the air, trying to get the train to stop. Much as someone might try to get a bus to pick them up if they made it to the stop a few seconds too late.
Didn't work. Guy might still be at the Kelso train station for all I know.
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