It was a blessing that the tram’s air conditioning was working—and that it wasn’t overfilled for the afternoon commute.

Two university-age passengers were seated diagonally across from each other in the four-pack section. They gave the appearance of nice people, despite their loud Americanness. One was talking about wanting to go on a missionary to Kenya. The other’s ambitions were nowhere near as big.

Then I noticed his foot resting on the empty seat in front of him. I thought to myself, “why did I expect so much better?”