The train stopped AGAIN.

Eric and I decided to take trains to Chicago for a piano recital by legendary Alfred Brendel.
We were supposed to arrive at 7AM and then head back at 8PM. But the train seemed to stop as
frequently as a bus, but even worse with each stop lasting century-long.

We finally reached Union Station at 12 o'lock and visited Chicago Institute of Art for one
and half hours. The concert started at 3PM and we barely made it: luckily the symphony hall
is on the opposite side of Michigan Ave.

When we got on the train at night, the same crew greeted us. A lady was puzzled: You just take
the train back and forth for fun? After listening to our explanation, she sighed and comforted
us: You guys are extremely lucky. In February, the average delay from DC to Chicago was more
than 8 hours. If that had happened, we would have missed the concert.

“So is summer better time for train ride??Eric asked.

“Not certainly. In summer the heat causes the rail expanded and the speed has to slow down.?

And here was the moment: In the middle of the trip, possibly somewhere in Indiana, the train
stopped. It was quiet and still, as if someone stopped the time. The excitement of sleeping
car had faded, so that conversation lost in the wind. Physically we were stuck along the unknown places, but minds just flew high like a lark.

Sometimes unexpected silent moments in music bring surprise and depth, so do those silent moments
in trips and life.