Mary Webster

At first glance Mary Webster is the classic portrait of the daily commuter. Dressed sharply in a skirt and blouse, she means business. But if you look close enough at any regular commuter you’ll find each one creates a personal space for themselves in their own way. They make this space on the train not quite public but not quite private. And it’s these personal details that tell you about who they really are and give you clues to what kind of person they are away from the office.

And this closer look at Mary tells you there’s more to her than just what you see. Take her glasses, for example. They’re Dolce & Gabbana but still somehow seem better suited for sitting in a coffee shop or riding a scooter around campus than sitting in an office. And the white headphones she uses are connected to a classic iPod. You just know she docks it to a PowerBook in her loft apartment.

There’s an acedemic style about her that’s hard to pin down. But clearly, just underneath the office-worker costume is an independent, academic spirit. And as soon as you chat with her you’re instantly drawn in by her generous smile and charming, subtle east-coast accent.

“I just moved here from Boston”, she volunteered, “you know, just for a change.”

I knew there was probably more to the story and I think she would have told me had I asked but I didn’t press her for it.

“I’m an executive assistant at an accounting company but what I really love is teaching music. I’m a vocal instructor. I studied at the Boston Conservatory. But you gotta pay the bills.”

She enjoys riding the train too. “Though”, she complains, “they aren’t as reliable here as they are in Boston. I just missed my train and I have to wait 15 minutes to catch another.”

Then she told me the story of a friend who regularly rode the train in Boston. “So she was sitting next to a guy who was drinking an orange soda. He’d take a sip and look at her. Then take a sip and look at her. Finally, he turned to her and raised his voice, ‘I’M FINISHED!’ You don’t get too much of that in Salt Lake.”