contents - Gallatin School of Individualized Study - New York ...

Kee Fong LiuKEE FONG LIU Living in NYC18A Stranger’s Laughone day, I was going down the stairs to the subway platform. The train hadjust arrived at the station and a wave of passengers flowed out quickly,filling up the platform and the stairs. I was walking in the opposite direction. Ifound myself surrounded and unable to move at all.Suddenly, I heard a voice from behind me. “Miss, can’t you go through?Follow me!” There was a strong black woman in an orange vest, an MTA employee.She stepped in front of me and shouted loudly, “Let’s go! Let’s go!” The crowdmoved to the right, and a path opened up that was wide enough for one person.I followed her closely. We walked about 20 steps from the upper stairs to theplatform. It only took a few seconds, but it felt like an hour.When we finally stepped onto the platform, she took a deep breath, thenlooked at me and laughed heartily. It felt like we had just finished a dangerousmission. “Ha, Ha.” She looked so warm, so lovely, and I returned her hearty laugh.A stranger’s laugh made me happy all day long.Kee Fong Liu was born in China. A student at the New York Public Library’sTompkins Square Center for Reading and Writing, she was also published in lastyear’s Literacy Review. She says, “I am thankful to my tutors, Rodger Larsonand Shaun McCarthy, and to our site advisor, Terry Sheehan, and our literacyassistant, Hilary Schenker.” She adds, “My English is improving.”