The New Girl

Every time a new person joins the work team, it’s something to talk about, even more so if it’s a young, beautiful, and single girl.

When Betty arrived at the “Indios Verdes” station of the Mexico City metro, few were the ones who didn’t give her a warm welcome, some could say too warm.

With her long flowered dress that reached her ankles and her black blazer, Betty was used to the compliments from men who constantly showed off just to get a glance or a smile.



It wasn’t a surprise to her that the other metro conductors gave her a lot of attention and advice for her first trip on the line.

Although she had already been working for several years at the metro’s facilities as a conductor, this was her first time traveling on line three.

Most of her coworkers were men, all of them eager to comment on the route details. “You have to slow down past Tlatelolco because the curve is very tight,” one said. “Remember that the signal at Etiopía doesn’t work,” another said. “Right at the switch near Guerrero, you have to go a bit faster to not lose energy in the carriages.” And so the advice poured in, more aimed at creating empathy with her than actually helping her, a crucial step before inviting her out.

Her first trip on the route was pretty boring. One of the boys offered to take her on his round trip so she could see the tunnel. The trip was somewhat boring. That boy kept talking nonstop about his stories from the year he had been working on this line.

Bored, she was grateful to be back to the station ‘Indios Verdes’ where she would start her first solo trip.

Nevertheless, that guy offered to accompany her as a passenger on the route to remind her of all the important points along the way and, of course, to finish the story he had left hanging.

Disgusted, she only smiled hypocritically as the guy climbed into the cabin and kept on telling his stupid stories.

Some stations further ahead, the radio finally interrupted the endless chatter when the guy heard his name on the broadcast.

After picking up the microphone and apologizing, he put the device back in its place.

-Well, I have to leave you alone,- he said with a timid smile.

-Don’t worry, I’ll survive,- answered Betty, grateful to the luck that had taken that nuisance off her back -hurry back or your wife will get angry with you for forgetting you were supposed to have dinner with her,- she ended with a devilish smile.

The new girl skillfully stopped the train at the next station, opening the doors so passengers could board and disembark amidst shoving and shouting.

At the same time, another train was entering the tunnel in the opposite direction. Betty didn’t get a chance to see the look of jealousy on that conductor’s face when he saw that Betty wasn’t alone. So focused was the conductor on recognizing the girl’s companion that for a moment he forgot he was entering the station until he realized the end of the platform where the passengers were patiently waiting for his arrival was very close. That man was forced to apply the brakes harder than necessary to avoid going past the station limit.

The shouts of anger and the insults didn’t take long to be heard from inside the carriages where some passengers had lost their balance and others ended up hitting one of the polished tubes that serve as support for those unfortunate enough not to find an empty seat.

The conductor managed to prevent the train from going past the station, but when it had come to a complete stop, there were still a couple of meters left to reach the proper position that would allow the doors to be opened.

Betty and Rubén couldn’t help but interrupt their farewell upon hearing the loud screech of the brakes, nor could they help but notice that the door of the rear cabin of the other train was open and, upon the train stopping, it was just a step away from the cabin where they were located.

Seeing the opportunity to avoid the fatigue of crossing to the other platform and walking all the way to the other end of the station, Rubén took Betty’s hand and stepped closer to give her a cheek kiss, a habit she loathed but that she couldn’t deny.

After savoring the scent of Betty’s hair, with a satisfied smile on his face, Rubén jumped through the door to reach the cabin of the train that would take him back to the terminal.

At that exact moment, the conductor, who felt relieved not having to back up the entire train to correct his mistake, gently pushed a lever. A loud whistle was heard as the brakes released the air that had been keeping them firmly against the tracks, and the train slowly moved forward to cover those two meters it needed to open the doors and continue its journey.

A series of creaks and a groan were heard. The train was moving slowly and Betty was horrified as Ruben’s body was crushed between the two trains.

The boy hadn’t reached the other cabin when the train moved again, and now his body, too bulky to escape the space remaining between the two trains, was being crushed by the movement.

A woman screamed from inside the train, an adolescent covered his girlfriend’s eyes while watching as Rubén’s body passed slowly in front of the window, almost unreal, leaving a streak of blood on the window.

The bones cracked and the look of terror on Rubén’s face, who still didn’t know what was happening, twisted as his head turned into impossible positions for a healthy body.

The train stopped again. Neither the conductor nor the passengers on the other side of the station had noticed what had happened. A dull, tired alarm sounded from the speakers inside the carriages and the doors closed.

The conductor accelerated and Rubén’s body, whose leg had been trapped in a crack, was dragged several more meters along the track, hitting the boy’s head against the wheels of the stationary train.

His right arm was caught in one of the brakes and was torn from the rest of his body as if it were a simple piece of paper. Nevertheless, this was enough to free the trapped leg and Rubén’s body lay inert on the track.

The boy was still trying to breathe, still trying to figure out what that noise was that he had heard before this whistle that was drilling into his ears and why he felt so much pain all over his body. He still didn’t know why one of his eyes seemed not to respond or why he was seeing his leg in such a strange position.

The air caused guttural noises as it rushed in and out with agitation through his battered throat, where the blood already prevented him from breathing.

With his chest completely destroyed and fragments of bone embedded in his heart, the movement of his lungs became spasmodic, irregular, until finally it ceased altogether.

Inside the cabin, the new girl, who barely realized what had happened, screamed.