The Millennial Festival

“Damn it” he thought. “I’m going to be late on my first day.”

The crowd was not moving. The invaders had occupied every inch of the train. They had moved randomly and uncoordinated, filling into the train platforms and eventually into the cabins. The onlookers just stared with confusion, and the commuters watched with deep annoyance. The crowd was full of young and old people, each wearing colors and masks of every kind. Today was a very special day on the city, it was the Millennial festival. 

The crowd pushed the commuters and continued making noise. Dante was no very pleased. He stood in the middle of a sitting mother with her child as he held the narrow still bar at the train roof. He had placed his body between her and the standing people being pushed further inside. 

A much older lady gave him a stern look, sizing him from top to bottom. She continued to glare in disgust at the crowd and then turned again to him.

“Aren’t you going to do something?” she asked.

He wondered if answering her would be of any use at this point. Usually when people asked him that it is because of the uniform but since he transferred to Metro Guards he was no longer an enforcer with city jurisdiction. And between the pile of people pushing him on the mother behind him, he was not really in the mood to have that type of conversation. He quietly stared back at her and slowly moved his eyes away.

She grunted raising her hand to a dismissive wave while turning away. It may not be entirely correct he felt like had won this round and the lady now shared the same disgust look with him as she had earlier before with the crowd.

With twenty minutes of continuous tag between the rioters and the commuters, the city enforcers showed up in full suppression mode. He noted the body armor, head gears and masks, metal solid boots, fiber glass shields and pneumatic tasers. This was about to get really bloody, he thought. 

Drones had also been dispatched and were hovering around the station platform with pepper dust and tear release functions. He pulled back as the crowds started to dissipate relieving the weight on his body. The enforcers had boarded the train and were securing cabin after cabin. Multiple people exited the train only to meet with a heavy tearing gas on the platform.

Suddenly a blond lady landed on his chest as the enforcers were approaching. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face swollen red. It was as if tomatoes were growing out of her cheeks, glistening with the water works from her eyes.

“Goalie…help me” She muttered. Her face slapping against his black jacket.

He pulled back but his eyes widened while watching the girl. It had been many years since someone called him by that name. He wondered confused and puzzled by the stranger holding him tight.

“It’s…..Jenna from….high school” she continued, her voice barely audible, it was also breaking at random intervals.

He noticed the brown eyes and the small dark mole on her temple that closely resembled the girl in his high school memory. But she stood here changed but time and events. 

“Sir, are you alright” 

 The voice startled him and he turn around to see an enforcer standing behind him with a multi-gear on his head for face recognition.

He turned slowly towards the girl and considered his next action. He was still obligated to report extremists but he was not sure what to do now.

“Is she bothering you, sir?” the man continued, his voice reflecting an echo in the back of the mask.

“She’s with me.” He blurted. “She got sprayed at the door and um…” he stopped mid sentence when his face with public records appeared on the screen caption Metro Officer Dante West.

“Thank you, sir” the enforcer moved forward without any other question.

A sudden voice came from the train speakers

“ The doors are now closing please step away from the yellow lines. A decontamination process will begin shortly. We apologize for the inconvenience” 

The chaos had finally died down and the train was resuming service. 

***

They stood in silent for another fifteen minutes. The speakers beeped with announcements of the next stop. 

When the train stopped a vacant sit was left by the woman behind him. He had completely forgotten about her presence. He looked at her as he exited pushing her stroller fast trying to distance herself from the eventful memory.

The stranger earlier remained buried between his raised arms pushing most of her weight on him. He slowly moved and guided them both to the empty sit behind. 

While seated he unzipped his bag and pulled a small blue cloth with a black forty ounce water bottle. He poured the water on the cloth, pressing it on various places to make it more damp.

“Put this on your eyes, it should help” he said with his arms stretched, handing her the piece of cloth.

She tried picking it up but her eyes where almost blind at this point. He moved close to prop her neck backwards before carefully laying the cloth on her eyes.

“I’m surprised you remembered me” she said after another long moment of silence.

He turned abruptly not expecting her to be talking. He was already late for work and his mind was focused on getting there. He was thinking of how the first day as chief of security he had planned to show up early observe the facilities before most of the day workers got there.

“Are you feeling better?” He replied dismissing her previous question.

“It’s not my first rodeo so I’ll live, what about you? You work as turn suit nowadays?” She asked.

“Old Jay jay just like your mother, quick to spit insults” he replied.

“Haa” she chuckled. “What can I say I learn from the best” she continued. 

The conversation was cut short when a announcement of district two station came on. The train was approaching Dante’s stop and he could not wait to get off. 

He lifted his body quickly and looked at Jenna still seated with her head bent back.

“You gonna be alright?” he asked

She raised her hand and gave a thumbs up. 

“Stay out of trouble” he added.

He hurried to the door before the train came to a full stop eagerly waiting for the doors to open.

“Goalie?” she shouted. 

At this point the train had completely stopped and the doors swung open. He turned half-way with one of his legs outside to see her facing him with the cloth at hand.

“Thank you” she added.

Their paths had already been entwined and meeting again was predetermined. She let her head down again using the damp cloth to lower the effects of the botched eyes.

***

District two station was heavily decorated with orange yellow and green banners flying. The murals were of deep nature sceneries and people in the field.

The days when farmers and planters had existed.

Dante walked in a hastening pace while trying not run in the station. He was met with a crowd of pink and ready cherry blossoms at the outside of the station. 

There was a tall black and white building on the opposite corner immediately after the pedestrian crossing to the right of the street. The caption at the entrance read Ruth Bader Ginsburg. This was his new office facilities.

The Millennial festival site was also beyond the door of that building. 

The city had passed the celebration bill to honor the oldest tree in the city. The park was home to over one thousand acres of trees, flowers and ponds. He had asked to be reassigned from crime division but he never expected to be working on the metro park offices. 

I guess anything is better than the enforcement division he thought to himself.

He approached the door and greeted all the guards at the massive park gates. He pulled out his bag to be scanned and reached down his pocket to pull out the new identification he received a week ago by mail.

It was not on his side pocket. And nor was his wallet. He started to pat himself in rapid motion in the back, sides and in the jacket pockets. Nothing.

“Damn it, that girl she swiped me” he thought to himself.

He informed the security at the gate. The guard, an older gentleman made a call and confirmed his identity before allowing him to proceed. 

He was greeted by a lady dressed in all black with brown hair trimmed short and hanging on both sides. 

“Hello Mr. West I’m Kelly Joy I’ll be your assistant and I’m here to give you a tour of our facilities” she introduced herself. 

He walked and listened carefully to her explaining the different facets of the building and the access he would have once his new key cards are created. He showed him the power and water room and other media facilities. 

She also introduced him to the technology room, which controlled the climate of the building and the park plants. She explained how the whole building has a tectonic plate sensor that is connected to the eleven hundred and forty nine acres that is responsible for plant remediation and rehabilitation. 

“The facilities were designed to keep things controlled and monitor growth independently. It was designed to be Self sufficient” she added.   

At the end of the tour Kelly walked him to his new office. It was a corner office on the third flower with two large windows. One was overlooking the new planting area with recently planted trees and the other faced the street adjacent to the train station.

Once she had left him alone he stared at the two new blank computer screens and new office furniture. He opened the empty drawers with half filled papers and unimportant documents. 

He rolled back and turned his chair to watch festival activities outside on the streets.  

He moved to the other window and saw the southern part of the park. New trees that had just been planted much like him in this new surroundings. Maybe they will become the new millennial trees he wondered. 

His mind then shifted to Jenna and how she had stole his wallet.

**