A friendly city

Revellers celebrating a national festivity were thronging streets strewn with the familiar debris of holiday. It was dusk. I was in the crowds but not of them. I stopped before the checkpoint and rising barrier situated at an entrance to the central square. A member of the security forces greeted me with a friendly smile, 'how can I help you?' I wanted to conceal my purpose. I said I was looking for the train station but that I had become disoriented in the crowd. 'Where are you heading?' I gave the name of a nearby town. 'What time is your train?' I confessed I did not know. She said she would find out. She consulted the computer, 'You don't have time to walk to the station, the next train is leaving soon.' She printed off a map with directions. I thanked her and started to move away. 'Just a moment. A patrol car is passing that way, I'll ask them to drop you off.' I thanked her again and explained that on a night like this I preferred to walk. 'Are you sure? Its really no trouble.' I declined her offer again. 'Go safely,' she said, 'I hope you catch your train.' I made a show of consulting the map and set off in accord with her directions. After completing several hundred leaden paces, I glanced back to see if she was still watching. She gave an enthusiastic wave of encouragement, like someone who desires to be fully integrated into their environment. Having already given so much of myself away, I thought it would be a mistake to draw further attention by not turning the corner towards the station. But I also intended that as soon as I was beyond her view, I would lose no time in heading in a different direction. This time, if I had anything to do with it, I would not be getting on that train. It was only then that it occurred to me that she might have telephoned through on my behalf, and ordered the delay of its departure.