Thursday, November 13, 2008
17.18 On Time
I'm standing on the platform considering front fastening bras and wondering if they still exist or whether they were an 80's invention designed to confuse boys? Much like the leotard.
When the train arrives it's busy for a Thursday.
A woman sits down next to me, asking first "Is this seat free?"
She's quite large and I'm glad I've already lowered the arm rest as I wouldn't want to appear rude.
Once seated she can't keep still. She lifts a pale pink backpack onto her knee and ferrets about in it - all elbows - all digging in to me. She pulls out a folder and removes some sheets of paper, she shuffles them, not reading at any. Her elbows are straying way over the dividing arm.
She's delving back into the bag again. I'm not looking, but I can smell food.
This is when it hits me. It's her! This time she's sober and chewing on a relatively inoffensive stick of celery, but it's most definitely her.
Luckily, after about five minutes of crunching and poking she stands up and makes her way towards the door.
It's then I notice that sitting across the aisle is, to put it bluntly, a rather gorgeous man. He looks a bit like that nice George off the telly, but not too much.
An older, not unattractive, man swaps seats and sits down opposite him: "I was sitting here before" he says by way of explanation "but there was this really noisy kid..." He pauses.
The Gorgeous Man says "Oh aye, he wasn't happy was he?"
"...and I don't like going backwards. That's why I moved back." I begin to suspect the Older Man of protesting too much. His next line is the clincher ".....didn't I see you on the train this morning?"
The Gorgeous Man graciously (and with a very appealing accent) accepts the possibility and explains not only where he's been, but what he's been doing all day.
I glance at the digital display above their seats.
It tells me that they're both 'available.'
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
I'm standing on the platform considering front fastening bras and wondering if they still exist or whether they were an 80's invention designed to confuse boys? Much like the leotard.
When the train arrives it's busy for a Thursday.
A woman sits down next to me, asking first "Is this seat free?"
She's quite large and I'm glad I've already lowered the arm rest as I wouldn't want to appear rude.
Once seated she can't keep still. She lifts a pale pink backpack onto her knee and ferrets about in it - all elbows - all digging in to me. She pulls out a folder and removes some sheets of paper, she shuffles them, not reading at any. Her elbows are straying way over the dividing arm.
She's delving back into the bag again. I'm not looking, but I can smell food.
This is when it hits me. It's her! This time she's sober and chewing on a relatively inoffensive stick of celery, but it's most definitely her.
Luckily, after about five minutes of crunching and poking she stands up and makes her way towards the door.
It's then I notice that sitting across the aisle is, to put it bluntly, a rather gorgeous man. He looks a bit like that nice George off the telly, but not too much.
An older, not unattractive, man swaps seats and sits down opposite him: "I was sitting here before" he says by way of explanation "but there was this really noisy kid..." He pauses.
The Gorgeous Man says "Oh aye, he wasn't happy was he?"
"...and I don't like going backwards. That's why I moved back." I begin to suspect the Older Man of protesting too much. His next line is the clincher ".....didn't I see you on the train this morning?"
The Gorgeous Man graciously (and with a very appealing accent) accepts the possibility and explains not only where he's been, but what he's been doing all day.
I glance at the digital display above their seats.
It tells me that they're both 'available.'
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Labels: train
