if you see something, say something...

The other day I was on the train riding home from work. I usually stand but that night I was dead tired and so I made my way to a seat in the corner. It was then that I noticed an extremely small laptop bag propped up against the wall. Had no one else noticed this? I pointed to the laptop and asked the gentleman next to me if it was his. He said no. I now had the attention of the people sitting across from me. It wasn’t theirs either and they hadn’t seen to whom it belonged. We all had a mini discussion about what to do with the bag and who would take ultimate responsibility for it. One man said if he took it, he probably wouldn’t turn it in. (Who says that?) Another man didn’t have the time. One woman ignored us. Finally my seat neighbor said that he was getting off in two stops and that he would turn it into the station agent. He looked trustworthy. However, as soon as that decision was made, it was at this moment that the oh-so effective MTA ads flooded my mind. “If you see something, say something.”

What if this laptop wasn’t just forgotten? I mean, really, who forgets their laptop?? What if it was planted? What if it was an explosive device or detonator? (Too much TV, perhaps?) Naturally, the train slowed to a snail’s pace and eventually stopped in between stations. We were being held momentarily and were then thanked for our patience. My mind turned back to the mysterious case and I wondered if death by an explosion would be painful and drawn out or quick and to the point. “Is anyone else freaking out yet,” I thought to myself. I started to get really impatient as we sat and sat for what was probably only a minute, at best. Finally the train started to move and I wanted to jump up and down with glee. The next two stops seemed like an eternity but arrived before I had nervous breakdown.
When the man stepped off the train with the laptop in hand, I wasn’t the only one to breathe an audible a sigh of relief.