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Hey friends, welcome

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to Get Sleepy, where

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we listen, we

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relax and we get

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sleepy. My

0:43

name's Tom and it's

0:45

my pleasure to be your host. Tonight's

0:50

story will be read by Heather

0:52

and was written by Alicia Steffen.

0:56

We're going on a fascinating journey

0:58

through time. Traveling

1:01

back to the late 1930s,

1:04

we'll accompany a young woman

1:07

named Ruby as

1:09

she takes a delicious lunch break

1:12

at a place called the Automatt.

1:16

You may think that fast food

1:18

is a modern invention and

1:21

certainly in its current form,

1:23

it's quite different from its

1:25

precursor. But

1:28

after joining Ruby at one of

1:30

her favourite eateries, you

1:32

might agree that the Hallowed

1:34

Automatt may have

1:36

had all the best features

1:38

of automation and self-service without

1:41

any of the drawbacks. First

1:47

though, I want to mention Get

1:49

Sleepy Premium. Tomorrow

1:52

night we have our weekly

1:54

Thursday bonus episode over on

1:56

the premium feed. I'll

1:58

be telling this story of a

2:01

lady taking a break from her busy

2:03

schedule to enjoy an afternoon

2:05

at the spa, where

2:07

she'll discover the power

2:09

of stillness and relaxation. In

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addition to our weekly premium

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exclusives, our supporters receive full

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Premium and support the

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ongoing production of the

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show by going to

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getsleepy.com/support or simply follow the

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link in the show notes. Thanks

3:02

so much my friends. Before

3:09

we hear tonight's story, let's

3:12

take some time to

3:14

focus on calming both the body

3:18

and mind. So

3:23

make sure you're as cosy and

3:26

comfortable as can be,

3:29

adjusting in any way you need

3:32

to find that perfect spot.

3:39

And then, begin to

3:41

imagine that the built-up

3:43

strength and vitality that's

3:45

been coursing through you all

3:47

day is

3:50

represented by a

3:52

soft red light. We

3:57

need to help this energy in our body.

4:00

quiet and down so

4:03

that we can get a good night's

4:05

rest. Notice

4:10

your breath and

4:13

begin to deepen it. Make

4:18

each inhale just

4:21

that much deeper and fuller

4:24

than the last. With

4:28

each exhale, imagine

4:31

that red light gradually

4:33

dimming a little

4:35

bit more. Breathe

4:41

in deeply and

4:47

breathe out, watching

4:50

the light dim bit

4:54

by bit. Try

5:01

to make the next breath the

5:03

largest you've taken all day.

5:10

And with the exhale, imagine

5:13

the light going

5:16

out completely, leaving

5:20

your body still,

5:23

calm and

5:26

ready. Not

5:30

only does the dimming of the light

5:33

relax your muscles and

5:35

ease away tension, but

5:39

it's also the moment for

5:41

your mind to switch off. With

5:47

each calming breath, allow

5:51

any thoughts of the day to

5:54

grow quiet. As

6:02

your breathing returns to its

6:04

natural flow, begin

6:07

to imagine a rainy

6:10

day in a long

6:12

ago city. Ruby

6:16

has stepped out for her

6:18

cherished lunch hour, leaving

6:21

her office job behind for

6:25

a little personal time. We're

6:29

going to join her as she

6:31

braves the rain heading

6:34

towards a very relaxing lunch

6:37

in a cozy and

6:39

familiar place. This

6:45

is where our story begins.

7:12

Ruby moved quickly down

7:15

the sidewalk, dodging

7:17

people to her left and

7:19

right and holding her

7:22

umbrella up high. The

7:26

rain had been coming down

7:28

steadily all day and she

7:32

was in no mood to linger.

7:37

Each person making their way

7:39

through the city streets had

7:42

their head down and their

7:45

focus on reaching their destination as

7:47

soon as possible. On

7:53

a prettier spring day, she

7:56

often found herself enjoying

7:58

the beautiful buildings of

8:00

the city or

8:03

stopping to breathe in the brisk

8:05

air while passing the

8:07

time on a park bench. But

8:12

not today. Everyone

8:16

was interested in getting to

8:18

the next dry location as

8:21

quickly and efficiently

8:24

as they could. April

8:28

showers, spring, May flowers,

8:31

Ruby thought to herself with

8:34

wry amusement. Every

8:37

inch of town within walking

8:40

distance was paved, so

8:42

she reflected that this downpour

8:46

wasn't of much use to her

8:48

in that respect. As

8:53

a fine mist found its

8:55

way past her umbrella, she

8:58

could almost feel her hairstyle

9:00

wilting. Such

9:03

a shame as she spent

9:05

a good deal of time that

9:07

morning trying to

9:09

emulate the massive curls

9:12

Ginger Rogers was wearing.

9:17

By the time she'd got to lunch,

9:19

she'd have a straight pageboy

9:22

bob instead. Just

9:25

her luck, she thought, sighing

9:28

inwardly. At

9:32

least she hadn't worn her best

9:34

shoes. She

9:36

looked down at the practical lace-up

9:38

Oxford's on her feet as

9:41

she dodged puddles on the sidewalk.

9:46

Even as she moved swiftly

9:48

forward, she enjoyed seeing

9:50

the reflections of the cars

9:53

in the puddles. With

9:57

the skies so gloomy. The

10:00

neon lights of the city

10:02

seemed unusually brilliant.

10:07

Each small lake reflected

10:09

a runny mix of

10:12

glowing lights in different

10:14

colors. She

10:18

was dimly aware of being

10:20

surrounded by the

10:23

shushing noise of traffic going

10:26

through the rainwater and

10:29

the occasional murmur of people

10:32

talking as they rushed by.

10:36

But, lost in her own

10:39

thoughts, she felt

10:41

almost like she was floating

10:43

above the sidewalk. It

10:47

took her mind off of the damp

10:49

and the chill. Most

10:53

of all, she was really

10:56

looking forward to reaching the automat and

11:00

warming up over something delicious

11:02

for lunch. And

11:05

finally, she arrived. There

11:13

it stood before her with

11:15

its worn two-story art deco facade.

11:21

Automat was displayed over

11:24

the door embedded

11:26

in mosaic. In

11:30

the center at street level,

11:33

there was a large window offering

11:36

a glimpse of the dining

11:38

mecca within. On

11:42

either side of that

11:44

window were gold-framed glass

11:46

revolving doors. They

11:51

were constantly moving as

11:54

people were briskly entering and leaving.

12:00

in case anyone was in

12:03

doubt on the far

12:05

left and right sides

12:07

of the entryway. Vertical

12:10

neon signs also said,

12:14

''Automat, inviting

12:16

the public inside.'' With

12:21

an anticipatory thrill, Ruby

12:24

pushed her way through the

12:26

revolving door and entered

12:28

one of her favorite

12:30

places. With

12:34

its tall ceilings and

12:36

shiny lacquered tables, the

12:39

automat was like a grand

12:41

hall dedicated to

12:43

the everyday person. A

12:48

girl like Ruby could walk in with

12:50

a mere 20 cents

12:52

jingling in her purse and

12:56

get just about anything

12:58

she wanted for lunch.

13:02

In fact, if her

13:04

20 cents happened to be in

13:06

the form of two dimes, she

13:09

would actually need to get to

13:11

the glass boots to

13:14

get them changed into 5 cent pieces.

13:19

Looking there with

13:21

unceasing efficiency were

13:24

official looking women called

13:26

nickel throwers. With

13:30

little rubber tips on their fingers,

13:33

they would take your larger coins

13:36

and change them into nickels,

13:39

which would clink cheerfully into a

13:42

little dish on your side

13:44

of the window. Anything

13:48

you wanted in the entire automat

13:50

could be purchased in 5 cent

13:54

increments, with most

13:56

items costing 15 cents

13:59

and some... only five. Here,

14:03

a humble secretary like

14:06

Ruby could eat

14:08

like a queen. And

14:12

it wasn't just the food

14:14

that made the automat special.

14:18

It was the atmosphere and the

14:20

people. From

14:23

the moment a patron walked in,

14:26

they were surrounded by

14:28

a feeling of orderliness and

14:31

luxury. Right

14:34

in the center of the wall,

14:37

up high, there was a

14:40

beautiful clock that

14:42

looked like something out of

14:44

Grand Central Terminal. There

14:48

were gold accents everywhere

14:52

and the hardware on all

14:54

the knobs and contraptions were

14:57

very elegant. Teal

15:01

accents here and there made

15:04

her feel like she was

15:06

inside a jewelry box. Even

15:11

the beverage dispensers looked

15:13

like embellishments on

15:16

an Italian fountain. To

15:20

insert one nickel and pour

15:22

oneself a cup of coffee

15:25

out of one of these exotic

15:27

spouts was almost

15:30

as good as a vacation

15:32

in Europe. However,

15:37

unlike most fancy places in the

15:39

city, the automat

15:42

was a completely democratic

15:44

place. Fine

15:48

ladies in fur stalls lunched

15:51

with well-heeled grandchildren

15:54

while nearby, a taxi

15:56

driver enjoyed a beast by.

16:01

Elegant lawyers or businessmen

16:03

read their papers over

16:06

a sandwich, while

16:08

shopgirls whispered over coffee

16:11

at the next table.

16:15

The automat seemed to be

16:17

a sort of magical crossroads

16:20

where social class vanished.

16:25

After all, nothing cost more

16:27

than a few nickels, and

16:30

everybody helped themselves. Today

16:36

the room was pleasantly humming,

16:39

but not too crowded. Ruby

16:43

stepped up to the glass booth

16:45

to swap some of her change

16:48

for five-cent pieces. The

16:51

girl behind the window hardly even

16:54

had to look at her hands

16:57

as she performed her work and

17:00

the coins were soon dispensed.

17:04

Slipping them neatly into the palm

17:06

of her hand, Ruby

17:09

took a tray and

17:11

walked over to the wall

17:13

of glass compartments where

17:15

the food was displayed. This

17:19

was her favorite part. There

17:24

was something wonderful about having

17:26

an entire wall of small

17:29

windows in front of you

17:32

filled with lunch options. The

17:36

windows were only about

17:38

four inches tall and

17:41

six or seven inches wide.

17:45

They were stacked in little columns

17:48

with each column of windows embedded

17:51

in a wall of

17:53

a fancy marble finish. Every

17:58

column had one type of finish. item

18:00

in it, indicated by

18:02

a glowing sign that sat

18:05

above. For

18:08

example, it might say

18:10

sandwiches or pies.

18:15

Then, next to

18:17

each individual window, there

18:20

was a menu card. The

18:23

card would tell you whether

18:25

the compartment held a cream

18:27

cheese and jelly sandwich, for

18:30

example, or a tomato

18:32

and lettuce sandwich. It

18:36

would also tell you how many

18:38

coins you'd need to deposit in

18:41

order to purchase it. One

18:45

nickel, two nickels. There

18:49

was something so simple and

18:51

transactional about the little window

18:53

and its value and sense.

18:58

In a complicated world, choosing

19:00

a sandwich could, at

19:03

least, be easy. Some

19:07

windows even held warm food.

19:11

These hardier dishes tended to

19:13

cost three or even four

19:16

nickels, but you

19:18

could get a chicken pot pie

19:20

or macaroni and cheese for

19:23

something much simpler like beans

19:26

or creamed spinach. It

19:30

was hard to believe how a meal

19:32

could come out of a little window

19:34

like that and

19:36

taste so wonderful and fresh.

19:41

That was all part of the

19:44

magic of the automat and

19:47

it was no wonder people of

19:49

all walks of life loved it.

19:54

Ruby always relished the moment

19:57

when she dropped her nickels

19:59

into the slot and

20:02

rotated the little knob

20:04

that said turn. Completing

20:08

this action would release the

20:10

locked window and

20:12

she could then retrieve her item,

20:15

closing the window again with a

20:19

satisfying click. Her

20:22

sandwiches always came out

20:25

wrapped neatly in wax

20:27

paper. The

20:30

free package appeared identical to

20:32

the last. She

20:36

reflected that the folks behind

20:38

the scenes must wrap hundreds,

20:41

no thousands of

20:43

sandwiches a week. Placing

20:47

the wax paper package on

20:49

her tray, she

20:51

proceeded to the beverage area.

20:56

There were tea cups perfectly

20:58

arranged in a nook on

21:01

the wall. One

21:04

large sign read black

21:06

coffee, and

21:09

a smaller one politely said

21:12

deposit change, pull

21:14

handle. She

21:17

knew from past experience that

21:19

it was important to have

21:21

your cup in place when

21:24

you turned that lever because

21:27

exactly the right amount would

21:29

stream from the spigot. Then

21:33

it would be over. If

21:37

you missed your portion, it

21:39

would be another nickel out of

21:41

your pocket to get a second

21:43

pour. With

21:47

her sandwiches and her steaming

21:49

cup of coffee ready, she

21:52

turned to face the room. There

21:57

were numerous empty tables. Although

22:01

she had sometimes toyed

22:04

with the idea of

22:06

sitting across from one of

22:09

the handsome young gentlemen who

22:12

whiled away their lunch hours

22:14

over the newspaper, she

22:17

had never gotten the nerve. Instead,

22:22

she always secretly hoped

22:24

that such a fellow

22:26

might come over to

22:28

her table, perhaps

22:31

saying, is this seat

22:33

taken? She

22:36

smiled to herself and blushed

22:38

a little as she took

22:40

her place at a sparkling

22:42

clean spot nearby. In

22:47

her head, she heard her mother saying,

22:49

you never know

22:51

when you could meet the love of

22:53

your life. As

22:58

she adjusted her chair and

23:00

prepared to unwrap her sandwich,

23:03

she gazed out at the

23:05

front windows. The

23:08

rain was coming down even

23:11

harder than before. Trivulates

23:14

of rain ran in

23:16

slanted paths down the

23:18

glass, partially

23:21

obscuring the scenes of

23:23

the street outside. As

23:28

she took her first bite, Ruby

23:31

closed her eyes for a

23:33

moment and enjoyed

23:36

the warmth and safety

23:38

of the friendly automat

23:40

dining room. She

23:44

could hear so much gentle

23:46

activity around her. Dishes

23:50

were being cleared. Coins

23:53

were being dispensed. Other

23:56

diners held quiet conversations.

24:00

sometimes laughing at some

24:02

funny joke or funny

24:04

story. Everyone

24:07

here was comfortable and

24:09

welcome. The

24:13

voice of a child projected

24:16

slightly above the adult murmurs.

24:19

She opened her eyes to see

24:23

a little boy addressing a

24:25

girl whom she

24:27

suspected might be his sister.

24:32

They stood near the milk dispenser.

24:36

Both children were nicely dressed.

24:39

He in flannel trousers and a

24:42

sweater vest. And

24:44

she in Mary Jane's shoes and

24:47

a dress that came to her knee. Their

24:52

mother was distracted nearby

24:55

while making a macaroni and cheese purchase. Meanwhile,

25:01

they were having a debate about the

25:03

milk spout. It's

25:07

a lion, the boy insisted firmly. The

25:12

girl shook her head, long curls

25:14

bobbing, and pointed to the faucet

25:18

in question. No,

25:20

silly, it's a duck. It

25:23

has a bill. Both

25:27

children scrutinized the milk

25:30

dispenser more carefully, parting

25:33

only when their mother returned

25:35

with a full tray and

25:37

urged them over to a

25:39

table. Ruby

25:43

smiled and laughed quietly to

25:45

herself. She

25:47

could see why the children were

25:49

having a debate. The

25:52

beast on the beverage

25:54

dispenser was rather outlandish.

26:00

Some time later, having

26:02

finished her sandwich, Ruby

26:05

leaned back in her seat and

26:08

looked around. She

26:11

was planning to stretch out

26:13

her coffee as long as

26:15

possible. She

26:18

neatly folded the empty wax

26:21

paper into a small square,

26:24

leaving it neatly on her tray. Ben

26:29

opening her purse, she

26:32

pulled out her latest novel.

26:35

It was called Rebecca, and

26:38

all her friends had been reading

26:40

it. Her

26:43

friend Lorna had told her that

26:45

it was being made into a

26:47

movie with Lawrence

26:50

Olivier, so she

26:52

was determined to finish the

26:54

novel before seeing it in

26:56

the theater. Ruby

27:00

sipped her hot coffee as she

27:03

made her way through the

27:05

next chapter. Despite

27:09

the fact that she was really

27:11

enjoying the book, she

27:14

couldn't help but look up from time

27:17

to time and take

27:19

in the scene around her. She

27:24

noticed that the row of

27:26

self-service pie windows nearby was

27:29

just about empty. A

27:34

grandmotherly lady was removing the

27:36

very last slice of, yes,

27:39

it was cherry pie. As

27:44

this happened, Ruby watched with

27:46

anticipation, because

27:49

she knew some of the

27:51

trademark efficiency of the automat

27:54

would be shortly on display.

28:00

Sure enough, within moments, the

28:02

entire metal drum inside

28:04

the pie column slowly

28:08

turned. Like

28:11

magic, a new

28:13

stack of filled pie windows

28:16

appeared. Ruby

28:19

knew that dedicated workers behind

28:21

the scenes were now

28:24

filling the empty pie slots

28:26

for the next revolution of

28:29

the display. That

28:33

was the quietly brilliant illusion

28:35

of the automat. It

28:40

appeared to be entirely

28:42

self-service, but

28:44

a full staff of people kept

28:46

it bright, clean, and

28:49

stocked at all times. They

28:54

were just out of sight. A

28:59

pair of men in flannel suits

29:02

strolled by her table carrying

29:04

trays of hot food. One

29:08

of them had a newspaper under his

29:10

arm. They

29:13

seemed to be engaged in

29:15

a lively conversation. The

29:20

men sat at the table next

29:22

to Ruby. She

29:24

turned her eyes back to her book, but

29:27

she couldn't help but overhear

29:30

their discussion, and

29:32

she found herself drawn in. As

29:38

everyone in town knew, the

29:41

World's Fair was about to

29:43

open soon. Their

29:46

lunch neighbors were talking about

29:49

the amazing exhibits that were

29:51

expected. Supposedly,

29:56

it was going to be the

29:59

most expensive. of World's Fair

30:02

ever presented.

30:04

The theme this

30:07

year was Dawn of

30:09

a New Day, which

30:12

sounded lovely and

30:14

optimistic to Ruby. Everyone

30:18

in the city could use

30:20

some fun. The

30:24

two men next to her

30:26

were especially interested in the

30:28

time capsules that were to

30:30

be buried, supposedly

30:33

not to be opened for

30:35

5,000 years.

30:39

They were debating the value of

30:41

the items that had

30:43

been chosen to be placed in

30:45

the capsules. The

30:49

writings of Albert Einstein made

30:51

sense to them both, but

30:54

one man scoffed at the

30:56

inclusion of a men's safety

30:59

racer and a cubedoll. However,

31:03

they both agreed that it

31:06

was a good idea to have seeds

31:08

in there. After

31:10

all, would those foods

31:12

be around in the future? Ruby

31:17

found herself thinking about what

31:20

she would put in the capsules. It

31:23

was fascinating to consider, but she

31:26

was glad it wasn't up to her

31:29

to decide such an

31:31

important thing. It was

31:34

hard to imagine what the world would

31:37

be like in 5,000 years. Apparently

31:44

the World's Fair was

31:46

going to be broadcast

31:48

on television, which

31:50

was creating a stir. One

31:54

of the men said he'd

31:57

read an article recently for

31:59

the The author said

32:01

television would never surpass

32:04

radio because

32:06

people wouldn't sit still to

32:08

watch something like that. The

32:12

author's reasoning was that radio

32:15

allowed people to do

32:17

other things while they

32:19

listened. Ruby

32:23

pondered this. Wasn't

32:26

it nice sometimes just to

32:28

do nothing? She

32:31

secretly felt that watching the

32:33

world's fair on TV might

32:36

be nice, especially

32:38

if she lived too far away

32:41

to go in person. And

32:44

wasn't that why films were so great?

32:48

She strongly disagreed with

32:51

this journalist who preferred

32:53

radio, she decided. Ruby's

32:58

eye wandered a few

33:01

tables away where she

33:03

saw a woman who

33:05

seemed to be about her own

33:07

age. She

33:10

was obviously on her lunch hour

33:12

as well and

33:14

was dressed like most of the

33:17

professional girls in

33:19

a sensible A-line dress and

33:21

a cardigan. Her

33:24

sandwich sat uneaten on her

33:27

plate as she

33:29

slowly sipped her drink. But

33:33

what interested Ruby was the

33:35

magazine she was reading. It

33:38

said Glamour of

33:41

Hollywood on the front and

33:44

it featured a large

33:46

cover photo of the actress

33:48

Anne Sheridan. Ruby

33:52

had seen Ms Sheridan in loads

33:54

of movies. Just

33:57

last year she had starred in the

33:59

film. in a really good

34:02

one with James Cagney and

34:04

Humphrey Bogart. Ruby

34:08

didn't allow herself a lot

34:10

of luxuries, but

34:12

much like her lunches at the

34:14

automat, a

34:17

glossy celebrity magazine was

34:19

a little treat she sometimes

34:22

indulged in. She

34:25

had never seen this one

34:28

before and was resolved to

34:30

look for it when she passed

34:32

the new stand. The

34:36

girl who was sitting nearby

34:38

certainly seemed to be riveted.

34:43

Ruby noticed that she was

34:45

tapping her toes back and

34:47

forth under the table, as

34:50

if playing a tune in her

34:52

head. The

34:55

toes of her high-heeled

34:57

shoes went back and

34:59

forth, back

35:01

and forth. Ruby

35:04

imagined that if they

35:07

had met under different circumstances,

35:10

they would probably be friends. Just

35:15

beyond her, Ruby

35:17

noticed a lanky young man

35:20

at another table. Ruby

35:24

had pushed his empty plate

35:26

aside and seemed to

35:28

be quietly sketching something on a

35:31

notepad in front of him. Following

35:36

his line of sight, she

35:38

saw that he was observing

35:41

the wall compartments that housed

35:43

all the pie slices. Ruby

35:49

looked at his pencil and

35:51

saw it drawing one rectangle after another

35:53

in a straight row. Then

35:58

he stopped. and

36:00

squinted at his subject, examining

36:03

the pie slices from afar.

36:08

After a moment, he

36:10

began drawing again. She

36:14

smiled at the thought that, just

36:17

like her, he was

36:19

stretching out his lunch in

36:21

the automat and observing

36:24

the scene. The

36:27

only difference was that

36:29

she was imprinting it on her

36:31

memory while

36:33

he recorded it on paper.

36:39

The two children she had

36:41

overheard earlier at the milk

36:43

dispenser had finished their

36:45

lunches. She

36:48

watched them as their mother got

36:51

them back into their little ring

36:53

coats and picked up her

36:55

purse. Don't

36:58

forget your comic book, she

37:01

said to the boy. He

37:04

nodded obediently and clasped

37:06

a worn copy of a

37:09

magazine to his side. Ruby

37:13

could just make out that

37:15

it was called Science Fiction. It

37:20

featured two people on the front

37:22

wearing red space suits. By

37:27

the look of it, the little

37:29

boy had already thumbed through the

37:32

comic many times. She

37:36

found herself hoping he could

37:38

avoid getting it wet when

37:41

he went back outside. It

37:44

looked precious to him. As

37:49

the little family disappeared through

37:52

the revolving door, a neatly

37:55

dressed automat employee appeared

37:58

at their table. efficiently

38:02

clearing their dishes away, he

38:05

wiped the table and it

38:08

was perfectly clean again in a

38:10

jiffy. As

38:13

he silently retreated to the

38:15

back of the automat, she

38:18

marveled again at how

38:21

the invisible human presence

38:23

did such a good job

38:26

of maintaining the performance of

38:28

the restaurant. Every

38:32

patron felt like they were

38:34

serving themselves, but

38:36

nothing here could really happen

38:39

without the capable employees

38:43

who kept it running like

38:45

clockwork. Speaking

38:48

of clocks, Ruby looked

38:51

at the one up on the

38:53

wall and realized she

38:55

would have to go soon. Her

38:59

sandwich had been eaten, her

39:01

coffee cup was empty, and

39:03

the light, bitter patter of rain

39:06

on the glass windows served

39:09

to remind her of the

39:11

existence of the world outside.

39:15

She neatly placed all her

39:18

items on her tray and

39:20

secured her book back inside

39:22

her bag, collecting

39:25

her umbrella. Then

39:29

standing up slowly, she

39:32

stepped back from the table, pushed

39:35

her chair into its place at

39:38

the lacquered table. The

39:42

automat was a little quieter

39:44

now that lunch was almost

39:46

over, but

39:48

her gaze lingered on the

39:50

few patrons who remained. Each

39:54

one was lost in their own

39:56

thoughts or

39:59

engaged in quiet conversation

40:01

with a companion. And

40:05

in the background, there

40:07

were the sounds of the automat

40:09

doing its work. Windows

40:13

opening and closing, change

40:17

ringing merrily as it slipped

40:19

into the dispenser, knobs

40:23

turning, hot

40:25

coffee pouring into cups with

40:28

a cheerful little gurgle. It

40:32

was a lunchtime symphony she had

40:35

come to love. The

40:39

automat was a happy place for

40:41

her. As

40:46

she moved toward the exit, an

40:49

impeccably dressed older man in

40:51

a pinstripe suit passed her,

40:54

heading inside. Seeing

40:58

Ruby, his face

41:00

broke into a wide smile and

41:03

he lifted his hat, nodding politely.

41:08

It was such a glot

41:10

little gesture that she was

41:12

both surprised and delighted. How

41:18

wonderful, she thought, that

41:20

people can meet each other here

41:22

as strangers and

41:25

still feel a sort of kinship. Pushing

41:31

her way through the golden and

41:33

glass door, she

41:35

felt the warmth of the restaurant

41:38

blow outward with her and

41:40

she knew that the table where she sat was

41:44

already shining and clean,

41:47

waiting for its next customer. Ruby

41:53

put up her umbrella and merged with the current of

41:55

citygoers who streamed back to the house. back

42:00

out into the world. She

42:05

floated along with them, as

42:08

if giving in to the progress of

42:10

a river. And

42:15

as she hopped lightly

42:17

over puddles and politely

42:19

making her way for

42:21

the on-rushing pedestrians, she

42:24

felt generosity toward them, oddly

42:27

more at peace than before. Her

42:33

spirits had been lifted. She

42:37

was already looking forward to

42:40

the next time she'd

42:42

have a chance to have

42:44

another lunchtime to herself, and

42:48

watch the world go by at

42:51

the marvelous, welcoming

42:54

Auto-Mat. Subs

43:42

by www.zeoranger.co.uk you

44:30

you you

45:30

you Thank

46:00

you. Thank

47:30

you. you

48:30

you you

49:30

you