Riding the Rails - Ode to Spencer

Several times a week, I see a small boy and his mom, waiting for the same subway I am. At first he was still in a stroller and would have his left hand buried in his long blond hair. I was entranced with him, but never said a word to him or his young mother. One day I broke the silence, while waiting for the elevator and for several weeks she would go to the other elevator, so that we did not ride together. I think we all have a tendency to be very careful about other subway riders. I did not take it personal and eventually, they returned to my elevator. Often, several other regulars would also be riding and they seemed to know the mother. One day one of them asked his name and I found out it was Spencer. My first thought was "She named him after Spencer for Hire?" Well, that connection meant that I now knew his name and I wasn't going to forget it. So more months would pass and the child grew older, with a real appreciation of both the Metrolink train he had just ridden on and the subway. His mom would read train books to him on the 15 minute ride on the subway, to keep his attention and some days he even wore Thomas the Tank Engine clothes. As he grew older, he began to remind me of my own son and our years of riding the rails, before he began school. I was allowed to take off on Thursday's and work instead on Saturday's. This meant that my son was in day care only four days a week and only three days in a row. Thursday was my "Stay at Home Mom" day and many days he and I would go shopping at the mall together, checking out the books at the Sesame Street store and buying Thomas the Tank Engine wooden railroad trains. They were his love during his preschool years. Other days we rode the rails to where ever we wanted to go. I had my monthly pass and children under 5 ride free, so it was a cheap way of spending time together. I consider the Conductors and Engineers family and one of the Engineers used to let my son push the trains whistle, upon occasion. It was one of the highlights of his childhood and is still remembered by him, all these years later. They were good times and I am so glad that Metrolink came to our corner of the world, just when my baby was turning 2, to give us this wonderful way to introduce him to the world around him. He walked around Downtown, rode Angel's Flight, went to Central Library, Pershing Square, The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Grand Central Market. All sorts of sights and areas of LA that no one wants to drive to...and we visited them, enjoyed and learned.
Watching Spencer and his Mom brings that all back and these past months I have been nostalgic times for me, watching him grow and enjoy. Well about a week ago, I heard in the elevator that the family was moving away and today she told someone else that this was the last time Spencer would be on the Subway and they were actually moving in a few weeks. It saddened me but I wish them good luck in their life and I hope that Spencer remembers something from his days of riding the rails in LA.
Bye Spencer and thanks.