Magical Metro Choir

I boarded the Panama City Metro (subway) at the El Ingenio station, headed for Albrook , to stock up on “city only” items, like brown rice, teriyaki sauce, peanut butter and jelly. As we approached the Via Argentina station, I started whistling “Don’t Cry for me Argentina.” I do stuff like that to amuse myself.

And that’s when the magic happened.

I suddenly realized that another passenger – no TWO others – were whistling with me. I stood on tiptoe to see across the crowded car and my gaze was met by a tall black man and a stocky twenty something, smiling and whistling back at me.

It is hard for me to explain the excitement and thrill I felt as we formed a spontaneous, joyous choir of three on a crowded Metro car.   Some might think it silly, but to have 3 total strangers drop their shields and guards and connect like that was a kind of ecstasy for me.

We finished the chorus just as we pulled into the station and my two choir mates got off with a wave and big smiles. I hope they enjoyed that rare kind of human moment as much as I did.