Episode Transcript
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0:00
Get Sleepy is a production of Slumber
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Hey friends, welcome
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to Get Sleepy, where
0:35
we listen, we
0:37
relax and we get
0:40
sleepy. My
0:43
name's Tom and it's
0:45
my pleasure to be your host. Tonight's
0:50
story will be read by Heather
0:52
and was written by Alicia Steffen.
0:56
We're going on a fascinating journey
0:58
through time. Traveling
1:01
back to the late 1930s,
1:04
we'll accompany a young woman
1:07
named Ruby as
1:09
she takes a delicious lunch break
1:12
at a place called the Automatt.
1:16
You may think that fast food
1:18
is a modern invention and
1:21
certainly in its current form,
1:23
it's quite different from its
1:25
precursor. But
1:28
after joining Ruby at one of
1:30
her favourite eateries, you
1:32
might agree that the Hallowed
1:34
Automatt may have
1:36
had all the best features
1:38
of automation and self-service without
1:41
any of the drawbacks. First
1:47
though, I want to mention Get
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Sleepy Premium. Tomorrow
1:52
night we have our weekly
1:54
Thursday bonus episode over on
1:56
the premium feed. I'll
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be telling this story of a
2:01
lady taking a break from her busy
2:03
schedule to enjoy an afternoon
2:05
at the spa, where
2:07
she'll discover the power
2:09
of stillness and relaxation. In
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Premium and support the
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ongoing production of the
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show by going to
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getsleepy.com/support or simply follow the
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link in the show notes. Thanks
3:02
so much my friends. Before
3:09
we hear tonight's story, let's
3:12
take some time to
3:14
focus on calming both the body
3:18
and mind. So
3:23
make sure you're as cosy and
3:26
comfortable as can be,
3:29
adjusting in any way you need
3:32
to find that perfect spot.
3:39
And then, begin to
3:41
imagine that the built-up
3:43
strength and vitality that's
3:45
been coursing through you all
3:47
day is
3:50
represented by a
3:52
soft red light. We
3:57
need to help this energy in our body.
4:00
quiet and down so
4:03
that we can get a good night's
4:05
rest. Notice
4:10
your breath and
4:13
begin to deepen it. Make
4:18
each inhale just
4:21
that much deeper and fuller
4:24
than the last. With
4:28
each exhale, imagine
4:31
that red light gradually
4:33
dimming a little
4:35
bit more. Breathe
4:41
in deeply and
4:47
breathe out, watching
4:50
the light dim bit
4:54
by bit. Try
5:01
to make the next breath the
5:03
largest you've taken all day.
5:10
And with the exhale, imagine
5:13
the light going
5:16
out completely, leaving
5:20
your body still,
5:23
calm and
5:26
ready. Not
5:30
only does the dimming of the light
5:33
relax your muscles and
5:35
ease away tension, but
5:39
it's also the moment for
5:41
your mind to switch off. With
5:47
each calming breath, allow
5:51
any thoughts of the day to
5:54
grow quiet. As
6:02
your breathing returns to its
6:04
natural flow, begin
6:07
to imagine a rainy
6:10
day in a long
6:12
ago city. Ruby
6:16
has stepped out for her
6:18
cherished lunch hour, leaving
6:21
her office job behind for
6:25
a little personal time. We're
6:29
going to join her as she
6:31
braves the rain heading
6:34
towards a very relaxing lunch
6:37
in a cozy and
6:39
familiar place. This
6:45
is where our story begins.
7:12
Ruby moved quickly down
7:15
the sidewalk, dodging
7:17
people to her left and
7:19
right and holding her
7:22
umbrella up high. The
7:26
rain had been coming down
7:28
steadily all day and she
7:32
was in no mood to linger.
7:37
Each person making their way
7:39
through the city streets had
7:42
their head down and their
7:45
focus on reaching their destination as
7:47
soon as possible. On
7:53
a prettier spring day, she
7:56
often found herself enjoying
7:58
the beautiful buildings of
8:00
the city or
8:03
stopping to breathe in the brisk
8:05
air while passing the
8:07
time on a park bench. But
8:12
not today. Everyone
8:16
was interested in getting to
8:18
the next dry location as
8:21
quickly and efficiently
8:24
as they could. April
8:28
showers, spring, May flowers,
8:31
Ruby thought to herself with
8:34
wry amusement. Every
8:37
inch of town within walking
8:40
distance was paved, so
8:42
she reflected that this downpour
8:46
wasn't of much use to her
8:48
in that respect. As
8:53
a fine mist found its
8:55
way past her umbrella, she
8:58
could almost feel her hairstyle
9:00
wilting. Such
9:03
a shame as she spent
9:05
a good deal of time that
9:07
morning trying to
9:09
emulate the massive curls
9:12
Ginger Rogers was wearing.
9:17
By the time she'd got to lunch,
9:19
she'd have a straight pageboy
9:22
bob instead. Just
9:25
her luck, she thought, sighing
9:28
inwardly. At
9:32
least she hadn't worn her best
9:34
shoes. She
9:36
looked down at the practical lace-up
9:38
Oxford's on her feet as
9:41
she dodged puddles on the sidewalk.
9:46
Even as she moved swiftly
9:48
forward, she enjoyed seeing
9:50
the reflections of the cars
9:53
in the puddles. With
9:57
the skies so gloomy. The
10:00
neon lights of the city
10:02
seemed unusually brilliant.
10:07
Each small lake reflected
10:09
a runny mix of
10:12
glowing lights in different
10:14
colors. She
10:18
was dimly aware of being
10:20
surrounded by the
10:23
shushing noise of traffic going
10:26
through the rainwater and
10:29
the occasional murmur of people
10:32
talking as they rushed by.
10:36
But, lost in her own
10:39
thoughts, she felt
10:41
almost like she was floating
10:43
above the sidewalk. It
10:47
took her mind off of the damp
10:49
and the chill. Most
10:53
of all, she was really
10:56
looking forward to reaching the automat and
11:00
warming up over something delicious
11:02
for lunch. And
11:05
finally, she arrived. There
11:13
it stood before her with
11:15
its worn two-story art deco facade.
11:21
Automat was displayed over
11:24
the door embedded
11:26
in mosaic. In
11:30
the center at street level,
11:33
there was a large window offering
11:36
a glimpse of the dining
11:38
mecca within. On
11:42
either side of that
11:44
window were gold-framed glass
11:46
revolving doors. They
11:51
were constantly moving as
11:54
people were briskly entering and leaving.
12:00
in case anyone was in
12:03
doubt on the far
12:05
left and right sides
12:07
of the entryway. Vertical
12:10
neon signs also said,
12:14
''Automat, inviting
12:16
the public inside.'' With
12:21
an anticipatory thrill, Ruby
12:24
pushed her way through the
12:26
revolving door and entered
12:28
one of her favorite
12:30
places. With
12:34
its tall ceilings and
12:36
shiny lacquered tables, the
12:39
automat was like a grand
12:41
hall dedicated to
12:43
the everyday person. A
12:48
girl like Ruby could walk in with
12:50
a mere 20 cents
12:52
jingling in her purse and
12:56
get just about anything
12:58
she wanted for lunch.
13:02
In fact, if her
13:04
20 cents happened to be in
13:06
the form of two dimes, she
13:09
would actually need to get to
13:11
the glass boots to
13:14
get them changed into 5 cent pieces.
13:19
Looking there with
13:21
unceasing efficiency were
13:24
official looking women called
13:26
nickel throwers. With
13:30
little rubber tips on their fingers,
13:33
they would take your larger coins
13:36
and change them into nickels,
13:39
which would clink cheerfully into a
13:42
little dish on your side
13:44
of the window. Anything
13:48
you wanted in the entire automat
13:50
could be purchased in 5 cent
13:54
increments, with most
13:56
items costing 15 cents
13:59
and some... only five. Here,
14:03
a humble secretary like
14:06
Ruby could eat
14:08
like a queen. And
14:12
it wasn't just the food
14:14
that made the automat special.
14:18
It was the atmosphere and the
14:20
people. From
14:23
the moment a patron walked in,
14:26
they were surrounded by
14:28
a feeling of orderliness and
14:31
luxury. Right
14:34
in the center of the wall,
14:37
up high, there was a
14:40
beautiful clock that
14:42
looked like something out of
14:44
Grand Central Terminal. There
14:48
were gold accents everywhere
14:52
and the hardware on all
14:54
the knobs and contraptions were
14:57
very elegant. Teal
15:01
accents here and there made
15:04
her feel like she was
15:06
inside a jewelry box. Even
15:11
the beverage dispensers looked
15:13
like embellishments on
15:16
an Italian fountain. To
15:20
insert one nickel and pour
15:22
oneself a cup of coffee
15:25
out of one of these exotic
15:27
spouts was almost
15:30
as good as a vacation
15:32
in Europe. However,
15:37
unlike most fancy places in the
15:39
city, the automat
15:42
was a completely democratic
15:44
place. Fine
15:48
ladies in fur stalls lunched
15:51
with well-heeled grandchildren
15:54
while nearby, a taxi
15:56
driver enjoyed a beast by.
16:01
Elegant lawyers or businessmen
16:03
read their papers over
16:06
a sandwich, while
16:08
shopgirls whispered over coffee
16:11
at the next table.
16:15
The automat seemed to be
16:17
a sort of magical crossroads
16:20
where social class vanished.
16:25
After all, nothing cost more
16:27
than a few nickels, and
16:30
everybody helped themselves. Today
16:36
the room was pleasantly humming,
16:39
but not too crowded. Ruby
16:43
stepped up to the glass booth
16:45
to swap some of her change
16:48
for five-cent pieces. The
16:51
girl behind the window hardly even
16:54
had to look at her hands
16:57
as she performed her work and
17:00
the coins were soon dispensed.
17:04
Slipping them neatly into the palm
17:06
of her hand, Ruby
17:09
took a tray and
17:11
walked over to the wall
17:13
of glass compartments where
17:15
the food was displayed. This
17:19
was her favorite part. There
17:24
was something wonderful about having
17:26
an entire wall of small
17:29
windows in front of you
17:32
filled with lunch options. The
17:36
windows were only about
17:38
four inches tall and
17:41
six or seven inches wide.
17:45
They were stacked in little columns
17:48
with each column of windows embedded
17:51
in a wall of
17:53
a fancy marble finish. Every
17:58
column had one type of finish. item
18:00
in it, indicated by
18:02
a glowing sign that sat
18:05
above. For
18:08
example, it might say
18:10
sandwiches or pies.
18:15
Then, next to
18:17
each individual window, there
18:20
was a menu card. The
18:23
card would tell you whether
18:25
the compartment held a cream
18:27
cheese and jelly sandwich, for
18:30
example, or a tomato
18:32
and lettuce sandwich. It
18:36
would also tell you how many
18:38
coins you'd need to deposit in
18:41
order to purchase it. One
18:45
nickel, two nickels. There
18:49
was something so simple and
18:51
transactional about the little window
18:53
and its value and sense.
18:58
In a complicated world, choosing
19:00
a sandwich could, at
19:03
least, be easy. Some
19:07
windows even held warm food.
19:11
These hardier dishes tended to
19:13
cost three or even four
19:16
nickels, but you
19:18
could get a chicken pot pie
19:20
or macaroni and cheese for
19:23
something much simpler like beans
19:26
or creamed spinach. It
19:30
was hard to believe how a meal
19:32
could come out of a little window
19:34
like that and
19:36
taste so wonderful and fresh.
19:41
That was all part of the
19:44
magic of the automat and
19:47
it was no wonder people of
19:49
all walks of life loved it.
19:54
Ruby always relished the moment
19:57
when she dropped her nickels
19:59
into the slot and
20:02
rotated the little knob
20:04
that said turn. Completing
20:08
this action would release the
20:10
locked window and
20:12
she could then retrieve her item,
20:15
closing the window again with a
20:19
satisfying click. Her
20:22
sandwiches always came out
20:25
wrapped neatly in wax
20:27
paper. The
20:30
free package appeared identical to
20:32
the last. She
20:36
reflected that the folks behind
20:38
the scenes must wrap hundreds,
20:41
no thousands of
20:43
sandwiches a week. Placing
20:47
the wax paper package on
20:49
her tray, she
20:51
proceeded to the beverage area.
20:56
There were tea cups perfectly
20:58
arranged in a nook on
21:01
the wall. One
21:04
large sign read black
21:06
coffee, and
21:09
a smaller one politely said
21:12
deposit change, pull
21:14
handle. She
21:17
knew from past experience that
21:19
it was important to have
21:21
your cup in place when
21:24
you turned that lever because
21:27
exactly the right amount would
21:29
stream from the spigot. Then
21:33
it would be over. If
21:37
you missed your portion, it
21:39
would be another nickel out of
21:41
your pocket to get a second
21:43
pour. With
21:47
her sandwiches and her steaming
21:49
cup of coffee ready, she
21:52
turned to face the room. There
21:57
were numerous empty tables. Although
22:01
she had sometimes toyed
22:04
with the idea of
22:06
sitting across from one of
22:09
the handsome young gentlemen who
22:12
whiled away their lunch hours
22:14
over the newspaper, she
22:17
had never gotten the nerve. Instead,
22:22
she always secretly hoped
22:24
that such a fellow
22:26
might come over to
22:28
her table, perhaps
22:31
saying, is this seat
22:33
taken? She
22:36
smiled to herself and blushed
22:38
a little as she took
22:40
her place at a sparkling
22:42
clean spot nearby. In
22:47
her head, she heard her mother saying,
22:49
you never know
22:51
when you could meet the love of
22:53
your life. As
22:58
she adjusted her chair and
23:00
prepared to unwrap her sandwich,
23:03
she gazed out at the
23:05
front windows. The
23:08
rain was coming down even
23:11
harder than before. Trivulates
23:14
of rain ran in
23:16
slanted paths down the
23:18
glass, partially
23:21
obscuring the scenes of
23:23
the street outside. As
23:28
she took her first bite, Ruby
23:31
closed her eyes for a
23:33
moment and enjoyed
23:36
the warmth and safety
23:38
of the friendly automat
23:40
dining room. She
23:44
could hear so much gentle
23:46
activity around her. Dishes
23:50
were being cleared. Coins
23:53
were being dispensed. Other
23:56
diners held quiet conversations.
24:00
sometimes laughing at some
24:02
funny joke or funny
24:04
story. Everyone
24:07
here was comfortable and
24:09
welcome. The
24:13
voice of a child projected
24:16
slightly above the adult murmurs.
24:19
She opened her eyes to see
24:23
a little boy addressing a
24:25
girl whom she
24:27
suspected might be his sister.
24:32
They stood near the milk dispenser.
24:36
Both children were nicely dressed.
24:39
He in flannel trousers and a
24:42
sweater vest. And
24:44
she in Mary Jane's shoes and
24:47
a dress that came to her knee. Their
24:52
mother was distracted nearby
24:55
while making a macaroni and cheese purchase. Meanwhile,
25:01
they were having a debate about the
25:03
milk spout. It's
25:07
a lion, the boy insisted firmly. The
25:12
girl shook her head, long curls
25:14
bobbing, and pointed to the faucet
25:18
in question. No,
25:20
silly, it's a duck. It
25:23
has a bill. Both
25:27
children scrutinized the milk
25:30
dispenser more carefully, parting
25:33
only when their mother returned
25:35
with a full tray and
25:37
urged them over to a
25:39
table. Ruby
25:43
smiled and laughed quietly to
25:45
herself. She
25:47
could see why the children were
25:49
having a debate. The
25:52
beast on the beverage
25:54
dispenser was rather outlandish.
26:00
Some time later, having
26:02
finished her sandwich, Ruby
26:05
leaned back in her seat and
26:08
looked around. She
26:11
was planning to stretch out
26:13
her coffee as long as
26:15
possible. She
26:18
neatly folded the empty wax
26:21
paper into a small square,
26:24
leaving it neatly on her tray. Ben
26:29
opening her purse, she
26:32
pulled out her latest novel.
26:35
It was called Rebecca, and
26:38
all her friends had been reading
26:40
it. Her
26:43
friend Lorna had told her that
26:45
it was being made into a
26:47
movie with Lawrence
26:50
Olivier, so she
26:52
was determined to finish the
26:54
novel before seeing it in
26:56
the theater. Ruby
27:00
sipped her hot coffee as she
27:03
made her way through the
27:05
next chapter. Despite
27:09
the fact that she was really
27:11
enjoying the book, she
27:14
couldn't help but look up from time
27:17
to time and take
27:19
in the scene around her. She
27:24
noticed that the row of
27:26
self-service pie windows nearby was
27:29
just about empty. A
27:34
grandmotherly lady was removing the
27:36
very last slice of, yes,
27:39
it was cherry pie. As
27:44
this happened, Ruby watched with
27:46
anticipation, because
27:49
she knew some of the
27:51
trademark efficiency of the automat
27:54
would be shortly on display.
28:00
Sure enough, within moments, the
28:02
entire metal drum inside
28:04
the pie column slowly
28:08
turned. Like
28:11
magic, a new
28:13
stack of filled pie windows
28:16
appeared. Ruby
28:19
knew that dedicated workers behind
28:21
the scenes were now
28:24
filling the empty pie slots
28:26
for the next revolution of
28:29
the display. That
28:33
was the quietly brilliant illusion
28:35
of the automat. It
28:40
appeared to be entirely
28:42
self-service, but
28:44
a full staff of people kept
28:46
it bright, clean, and
28:49
stocked at all times. They
28:54
were just out of sight. A
28:59
pair of men in flannel suits
29:02
strolled by her table carrying
29:04
trays of hot food. One
29:08
of them had a newspaper under his
29:10
arm. They
29:13
seemed to be engaged in
29:15
a lively conversation. The
29:20
men sat at the table next
29:22
to Ruby. She
29:24
turned her eyes back to her book, but
29:27
she couldn't help but overhear
29:30
their discussion, and
29:32
she found herself drawn in. As
29:38
everyone in town knew, the
29:41
World's Fair was about to
29:43
open soon. Their
29:46
lunch neighbors were talking about
29:49
the amazing exhibits that were
29:51
expected. Supposedly,
29:56
it was going to be the
29:59
most expensive. of World's Fair
30:02
ever presented.
30:04
The theme this
30:07
year was Dawn of
30:09
a New Day, which
30:12
sounded lovely and
30:14
optimistic to Ruby. Everyone
30:18
in the city could use
30:20
some fun. The
30:24
two men next to her
30:26
were especially interested in the
30:28
time capsules that were to
30:30
be buried, supposedly
30:33
not to be opened for
30:35
5,000 years.
30:39
They were debating the value of
30:41
the items that had
30:43
been chosen to be placed in
30:45
the capsules. The
30:49
writings of Albert Einstein made
30:51
sense to them both, but
30:54
one man scoffed at the
30:56
inclusion of a men's safety
30:59
racer and a cubedoll. However,
31:03
they both agreed that it
31:06
was a good idea to have seeds
31:08
in there. After
31:10
all, would those foods
31:12
be around in the future? Ruby
31:17
found herself thinking about what
31:20
she would put in the capsules. It
31:23
was fascinating to consider, but she
31:26
was glad it wasn't up to her
31:29
to decide such an
31:31
important thing. It was
31:34
hard to imagine what the world would
31:37
be like in 5,000 years. Apparently
31:44
the World's Fair was
31:46
going to be broadcast
31:48
on television, which
31:50
was creating a stir. One
31:54
of the men said he'd
31:57
read an article recently for
31:59
the The author said
32:01
television would never surpass
32:04
radio because
32:06
people wouldn't sit still to
32:08
watch something like that. The
32:12
author's reasoning was that radio
32:15
allowed people to do
32:17
other things while they
32:19
listened. Ruby
32:23
pondered this. Wasn't
32:26
it nice sometimes just to
32:28
do nothing? She
32:31
secretly felt that watching the
32:33
world's fair on TV might
32:36
be nice, especially
32:38
if she lived too far away
32:41
to go in person. And
32:44
wasn't that why films were so great?
32:48
She strongly disagreed with
32:51
this journalist who preferred
32:53
radio, she decided. Ruby's
32:58
eye wandered a few
33:01
tables away where she
33:03
saw a woman who
33:05
seemed to be about her own
33:07
age. She
33:10
was obviously on her lunch hour
33:12
as well and
33:14
was dressed like most of the
33:17
professional girls in
33:19
a sensible A-line dress and
33:21
a cardigan. Her
33:24
sandwich sat uneaten on her
33:27
plate as she
33:29
slowly sipped her drink. But
33:33
what interested Ruby was the
33:35
magazine she was reading. It
33:38
said Glamour of
33:41
Hollywood on the front and
33:44
it featured a large
33:46
cover photo of the actress
33:48
Anne Sheridan. Ruby
33:52
had seen Ms Sheridan in loads
33:54
of movies. Just
33:57
last year she had starred in the
33:59
film. in a really good
34:02
one with James Cagney and
34:04
Humphrey Bogart. Ruby
34:08
didn't allow herself a lot
34:10
of luxuries, but
34:12
much like her lunches at the
34:14
automat, a
34:17
glossy celebrity magazine was
34:19
a little treat she sometimes
34:22
indulged in. She
34:25
had never seen this one
34:28
before and was resolved to
34:30
look for it when she passed
34:32
the new stand. The
34:36
girl who was sitting nearby
34:38
certainly seemed to be riveted.
34:43
Ruby noticed that she was
34:45
tapping her toes back and
34:47
forth under the table, as
34:50
if playing a tune in her
34:52
head. The
34:55
toes of her high-heeled
34:57
shoes went back and
34:59
forth, back
35:01
and forth. Ruby
35:04
imagined that if they
35:07
had met under different circumstances,
35:10
they would probably be friends. Just
35:15
beyond her, Ruby
35:17
noticed a lanky young man
35:20
at another table. Ruby
35:24
had pushed his empty plate
35:26
aside and seemed to
35:28
be quietly sketching something on a
35:31
notepad in front of him. Following
35:36
his line of sight, she
35:38
saw that he was observing
35:41
the wall compartments that housed
35:43
all the pie slices. Ruby
35:49
looked at his pencil and
35:51
saw it drawing one rectangle after another
35:53
in a straight row. Then
35:58
he stopped. and
36:00
squinted at his subject, examining
36:03
the pie slices from afar.
36:08
After a moment, he
36:10
began drawing again. She
36:14
smiled at the thought that, just
36:17
like her, he was
36:19
stretching out his lunch in
36:21
the automat and observing
36:24
the scene. The
36:27
only difference was that
36:29
she was imprinting it on her
36:31
memory while
36:33
he recorded it on paper.
36:39
The two children she had
36:41
overheard earlier at the milk
36:43
dispenser had finished their
36:45
lunches. She
36:48
watched them as their mother got
36:51
them back into their little ring
36:53
coats and picked up her
36:55
purse. Don't
36:58
forget your comic book, she
37:01
said to the boy. He
37:04
nodded obediently and clasped
37:06
a worn copy of a
37:09
magazine to his side. Ruby
37:13
could just make out that
37:15
it was called Science Fiction. It
37:20
featured two people on the front
37:22
wearing red space suits. By
37:27
the look of it, the little
37:29
boy had already thumbed through the
37:32
comic many times. She
37:36
found herself hoping he could
37:38
avoid getting it wet when
37:41
he went back outside. It
37:44
looked precious to him. As
37:49
the little family disappeared through
37:52
the revolving door, a neatly
37:55
dressed automat employee appeared
37:58
at their table. efficiently
38:02
clearing their dishes away, he
38:05
wiped the table and it
38:08
was perfectly clean again in a
38:10
jiffy. As
38:13
he silently retreated to the
38:15
back of the automat, she
38:18
marveled again at how
38:21
the invisible human presence
38:23
did such a good job
38:26
of maintaining the performance of
38:28
the restaurant. Every
38:32
patron felt like they were
38:34
serving themselves, but
38:36
nothing here could really happen
38:39
without the capable employees
38:43
who kept it running like
38:45
clockwork. Speaking
38:48
of clocks, Ruby looked
38:51
at the one up on the
38:53
wall and realized she
38:55
would have to go soon. Her
38:59
sandwich had been eaten, her
39:01
coffee cup was empty, and
39:03
the light, bitter patter of rain
39:06
on the glass windows served
39:09
to remind her of the
39:11
existence of the world outside.
39:15
She neatly placed all her
39:18
items on her tray and
39:20
secured her book back inside
39:22
her bag, collecting
39:25
her umbrella. Then
39:29
standing up slowly, she
39:32
stepped back from the table, pushed
39:35
her chair into its place at
39:38
the lacquered table. The
39:42
automat was a little quieter
39:44
now that lunch was almost
39:46
over, but
39:48
her gaze lingered on the
39:50
few patrons who remained. Each
39:54
one was lost in their own
39:56
thoughts or
39:59
engaged in quiet conversation
40:01
with a companion. And
40:05
in the background, there
40:07
were the sounds of the automat
40:09
doing its work. Windows
40:13
opening and closing, change
40:17
ringing merrily as it slipped
40:19
into the dispenser, knobs
40:23
turning, hot
40:25
coffee pouring into cups with
40:28
a cheerful little gurgle. It
40:32
was a lunchtime symphony she had
40:35
come to love. The
40:39
automat was a happy place for
40:41
her. As
40:46
she moved toward the exit, an
40:49
impeccably dressed older man in
40:51
a pinstripe suit passed her,
40:54
heading inside. Seeing
40:58
Ruby, his face
41:00
broke into a wide smile and
41:03
he lifted his hat, nodding politely.
41:08
It was such a glot
41:10
little gesture that she was
41:12
both surprised and delighted. How
41:18
wonderful, she thought, that
41:20
people can meet each other here
41:22
as strangers and
41:25
still feel a sort of kinship. Pushing
41:31
her way through the golden and
41:33
glass door, she
41:35
felt the warmth of the restaurant
41:38
blow outward with her and
41:40
she knew that the table where she sat was
41:44
already shining and clean,
41:47
waiting for its next customer. Ruby
41:53
put up her umbrella and merged with the current of
41:55
citygoers who streamed back to the house. back
42:00
out into the world. She
42:05
floated along with them, as
42:08
if giving in to the progress of
42:10
a river. And
42:15
as she hopped lightly
42:17
over puddles and politely
42:19
making her way for
42:21
the on-rushing pedestrians, she
42:24
felt generosity toward them, oddly
42:27
more at peace than before. Her
42:33
spirits had been lifted. She
42:37
was already looking forward to
42:40
the next time she'd
42:42
have a chance to have
42:44
another lunchtime to herself, and
42:48
watch the world go by at
42:51
the marvelous, welcoming
42:54
Auto-Mat. Subs
43:42
by www.zeoranger.co.uk you
44:30
you you
45:30
you Thank
46:00
you. Thank
47:30
you. you
48:30
you you
49:30
you
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