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I glanced up at the sign on the platform, checking once more that the next train was the one that I needed to catch to get home. I’d come into the city for a specialist appointment, and that was challenging enough without the added stress of driving and parking the car. My mind was going over the advice the doctor had given me when someone grabbed my arm.

‘Fiona! How are you?’

I stepped back then smiled. ‘Julia! So good to see you. It’s been ages.’

‘I know. We should catch up. How’s your family? The kids?’

The loudspeaker interrupted my response, advising that the next train would be arriving in less than a minute.

‘Good. It’s great to see you, but the next train is mine. Can I give you a call later?’

Julia tilted her head. ‘You can try, but the mobile phone service isn’t great where I’m living now.’

‘Do you have a landline?’

She laughed, throwing back her head. ‘No. Who does these days? Why don’t you message me on Facebook?’

It was my turn to shake my head.

‘How about Messenger? Or Insta, you can find me there.’

’Sorry. I’m not on any of those. Who has the time?’

There was that shift in the atmosphere which indicated a train was about to come through the tunnel.

’SnapChat? What’sApp? Twitter? TikTok? LinkedIn? Are you on any of the socials?’

I gathered my bag closer, ready to move toward the train, which was just pulling up at the platform. ‘Can I email you? Maybe we can catch up for a chat?’

Julia smiled. ‘Sure. My email’s still the same.’

We hugged as the train pulled up, and then I was off, boarding the train. I snagged a window seat, and as the train left the station I could see Julia disappearing down the platform stairs.

I’m participating in this blogging challenge for the month of January, which supports starting the year on the “write” track. You can find other posts with #bloganuary and join in the challenge.

Photo: Old phones at Kandos Museum