Patience Is A Virtue

Travelers wait patiently in the lobby of the San Marcos Station on a Thursday evening. Business is slow, much unlike the hustle and bustle of an airport. Ceiling fans spin and wobble slightly. Vending machines buzz. A man abandons his duffle bag and paces the floor, jingling the change in his pocket. Sodas are priced at $1.25 a pop. Yes, the pun was intended. A cell phone ringtone finally breaks the silence. The chorus of “Apologize” by OneRepublic plays and a woman anxiously answers the call.

For many Texas State University students, when mentioning “the bus”, they are most likely referencing the Bobcat Tram. How many of them would think of the Greyhound? How many know the San Marcos Station even exists, and that it serves Amtrak, Greyhound and CARTS (Capital Area Rural Transportation System)? Oftentimes, we hear about a security scare at an airport or an aircraft having to make an emergency landing. Seldom does news coverage revolve around a train or bus station. In 2008, Amtrak reported a ridership of more than 300,000 passengers in the state of Texas. With an average of close to 1,000 riders per day, who still uses this mode of transportation, which seemed to have fallen by the wayside?

On the wooden seats inside the lobby are various etchings, some as simple as ‘So-and-so was here’ to a confusing statement about the best mariachis in Brownsville. Numerous couples professed their love, such as Jessica and Jon (4ever). Sitting there quietly, my mind can’t help but wonder if they are still in love, if they were ever in love, or if it was Jessica’s wishful thinking that caused her to declare it publicly. It’s been more than a year since it was written. Where did they go? Did they go together? How long does 4ever last? In the end, it probably only matters that she loved him in that moment, enough for her to bust out a permanent marker and share her feelings with the world.

Trains and buses are becoming nostalgic, just like the pay phone that sits on the lobby wall. Maybe the people who come to this station have a fear of flying. It could be that they’re trying to travel with fewer security restrictions. In today's society, time is money. We want to get to where we are going, and get there as fast as we can. Those who travel through the San Marcos Station are a minority among today’s tourists. Vastly unnoticed, they get to their destinations with little attention, disappearing into cities and towns as silently as they arrived. All aboard!

-Amanda Martinez