She had a red bag

She had a red bag.
It was big and bright and it fastened with a long zip that stretched around three of its four sides.
It had a long strap which allowed it to hang low at her waist.
It did not get in the way of walking, nor was it an inconvenience in the making of hand gestures and it would only really obstruct an effusive and passionate embrace- although in theory it could be tucked to one side.

She hadn’t meant to shout at the man in the ticket office.
It seemed slightly unfair now; he was after all only doing his job. She regretted it now but she had had to do it. She had to. She wasn’t really sure why she had had to but she knew she was right about it and whilst she regretted it now it made it easier for her to hold her head up as she walked along the platform past all the eyes that lurked there as she searched for a bench.
It was better for them to have seen her shouting.

There wasn’t much in the red bag but it was constructed in such a way as to always look the same size. Not like some bags which can bulge under the weight of folders and scarves or equally shrink around a return ticket and a lipstick. The red bag remained the same size irrespective of whether she only had receipts and a photograph inside it alongside her purse and her keys.

When the train arrived the people lining the platform moved very slowly.
No one was sure who should move first and it was the time of the day when no one could conceivably be in that much of a hurry. As luck would have it the train door stopped in front of the lady with the red bag. It fell to her to lift the metal lever and swing open the heavy door. The door handle was level with her shoulders and in lifting her hand to reach it the red bag skid down her arm and landed on the floor. She immediately let go of the lever and stopped to pick it up.

‘Here, allow me’ said a man with a kind face who had appeared at her side.
He swung the lever and held open the door while she reclaimed her bag.
‘Thank you’ said the lady mindful to look him directly in the eye as she spoke.
The bag safely returned to her shoulder she climbed into the train.
Beaming the man held the door for the other passengers who were joining the train. Then when the last one had got on he stepped onto the train himself and shut the door behind him, mindful to let it slam hard enough so as to shut properly and allow the train to depart.