This man is a hard worker and.....

he is my boyfriend Scott. He works as an electronics specialist at SEPTA, the transportation system here in the Philadelphia area. He makes a decent wage for his hard work and he loves his job. He's a tough little guy who works out three days a week in his basement gym, lifting weights, jumping rope, and admiring his huge toy train collection. He liked trains even before he went to work at SEPTA. His job is working on the El's.

I hear all sorts of interesting stories about SEPTA workers from Scott. One guy went on a Caribbean cruise. Saved his money all year, then beat the snow storm by driving to an airport outside Washington, DC, only to find that the cruise ship was a victim of uncontrollable waves lashing the ship and jerking it from side to side. Although he didn't get sea sick, he said every minute was a horror.

I'm trying to think of a creative way to write about Scott's job, particularly how he spent last nite, the beginning of the next severe snowstorm here in the Philadelphia area. Let's try first-person.

I kissed my girlfriend goodbye and walked to the train station 15 minutes away. The wind was brutal. I pulled my cap over my ears and trudged through Keystone Screw and onto the main road. The snow hit me right in the face. I walked in the street hoping the few cars that drove by wouldn't hit me. People's trash cans were still on the curb, or what was left of the curb in the snow. They didn't pick up the trash yesterday.

The train was nice and warm. I showed my SEPTA ID card so I can ride for free. When Ruthie rides w/me they let her on free too. I was beat. But I'm afraid if I fall asleep I'll miss my stop downtown. Closed my eyes anyway, then jerked awake.

Downtown, I had to go outside to catch another train to 69th Street where I work. All told, an hour's worth of train rides. I always get there early to clock in. Shoot the breeze with the guys then go to work.

They pull in a train for me to look at. The wind was astonishingly brutal. I could barely see with the wind pushing the falling snow directly into my face. Unbelievable! Damn, I'd forgotten to wear my longjohns. I was freezing. My latex gloves keep my hands warm, though, so I can poke around and see what's wrong. This train, though, couldn't find nothing wrong with it.

When that's the case we pull it into the car house. The birds sing in there. Their crap is all over the place. But at least it's warm. I like being warm.

Plenty of work all night. You never know what's gonna happen. Usually the cold brings out the worst in the trains. On my lunch hour I sat down and ate some pistachios. The sickly sweet smell of Chinese Food (I'm the only Jew that hates Chinese food) wafted over the lunch room.

It snowed all night. When I finally walked home from my final train, the roads were perilous. Cars were sliding all over Davisville Road. And the trash I told you about had spilled out of the cans and was in the street, soda cans rolling with the cars. When I cut through the path to my house the snow was over my knees.

Boy was I glad to be home. Took a hot shower and ate my usual delicious breakfast of granola, a hard-boiled egg, and two scoops of peanut butter. Then I hit the sack. I'm asleep right now. My little room heater is purring away, all is quiet, and look at me, dreaming that Ruthie is writing about me.