Malice Domestic 38 - The Journey

The Metro

A Small Town Midwesterner Rides the Subway

Subways are the stuff of grim news headlines. They feature in action-adventure movies like Die Hard: With a Vengeance, starring Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson. Places of darkness and danger.

Why would I, with my deep suspicions about big cities, travel to the East Coast? How could I even consider endangering myself and my only biological child by riding a subway?

To attend a writers conference I hadn’t been to in a dozen years. The drive from Colorado Springs to Bethesda, Maryland, is 1,629 miles, crossing more than half a dozen states. It’s a trip taking a minimum of two days, one-way.
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Four days of travel? My husband was surprisingly game for the drive. I insisted flying made more sense. Plus, I was attending Malice Domestic with my daughter and co-author. She didn’t have the time to spare from her busy family and plethora of tuxedo cats. She had to fly. Sure, she’s capable of traveling alone. But this would be more fun.

Despite my dislike of flying, we booked tickets months in advance. There are no direct flights from our city to Bethesda. There was a layover both ways. The trip ended up taking half a day. 

I had researched in advance the options for travel from DCA to the hotel. The recommendation was to take the subway. It was less than $5. Merida’s husband was aghast that we’d risk riding the subway rather than take a taxi or van. Until I revealed the price: $50 for each passenger. Ron is as frugal as his mother-in-law. He agreed we had chosen the most practical method of travel, although he still feared for our safety.

We found the Metro, following signs inside the airport. A kind local woman explained how to purchase a card, and load it with enough money to get us to our destination. Then we hopped on a train. It swooped underground. We were on the subway.

By now, partly due to the time change, it was nighttime. Night? On a subway? Yikes! And yet, it was not crowded, and people were friendly. We likely took the wrong train, but a college student directed us to the correct connection. We met Ruth, who chatted with us until her stop. I can’t lie. Riding the subway was still a little scary, despite Ruth’s assurances that we were in a safe area.

Finally, we reached our destination. Thanks to modern technology, we knew exactly which way to go.

The hotel lobby was nearly empty. Folks who had already arrived for Malice Domestic were wisely in bed. When we made the hotel reservation, they only had a room with one king bed. Thankfully, we were able to switch to two separate beds.

We notified our husbands that we had arrived at the hotel safe and sound.
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The two-hour time zone difference was going to be rough. We managed to crash, even though we were both bubbling with anticipation. Who would we meet this weekend? Were our brief moments in the spotlight going to be worth the time and expense? 

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