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Delayed By Doughnuts

“Come on. Let’s go,” my brother said, leading me by the arm, out of the cavernous train station.

“We don’t have time,” I argued, as he continued to lead me towards downtown Portland.

“Yeah, we do,” he retorted. “And, besides, it’s close to the station.”

My brother had been telling me about this doughnut shop in Portland, Oregon, for a long time. He had repeatedly promised to take me there on my next visit. My visit came and nearly went without a stop at this shop. I was supposed to catch a train to Seattle that afternoon. After I checked my luggage at the station, I had about forty five minutes before my train left. Enough time, my brother decided, to get a doughnut. I was not so sure. I was scared that I was going to miss my train. My attempts to suggest that it was not a good idea to leave the station proved futile and we were on our way to the doughnut shop.

In addition to traditional doughnut flavors, this shop was known for other, more unusual flavors, including Neapolitan and Butterfinger. It’s popularity was made obvious by the line that greeted my brother and me when we arrived. It was the middle of the afternoon, but there were more than one half dozen people in line ahead of us. Luckily, it was a fairly fast-moving line and my brother and I were soon on our way back to the station, doughnuts in hand.

My brother and I walked into the train station and towards the boarding area. My train was scheduled to leave in ten minutes. As I walked toward the boarding area, I noticed that there was no sign of other passengers boarding a train. I was told by a station attendant, who had probably noticed the confused look on my face, that boarding for my train had closed. I would have to wait for the next train. . .more than one hour later. With no alternative, my brother and I found seats on one of the wooden benches in the center of the station.

While we waited for the train, I tasted one of the two doughnuts I had purchased. My brother was right. They tasted great. Their popularity was well-deserved. I decided to save the rest for my trip to Seattle. After a while, I boarded the train and was off to Washington.

Three and one half hours later, the train pulled into the station in Seattle. I gathered my belongings and stepped off of the train. I had planned to be in Seattle by 3p.m. I arrived just after 7p.m. Four hours . . . and two
doughnuts . . . later, I had made it to my destination.

But they were good doughnuts.

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