Opposite me on the train sat an older man, who got on, got out his laptop and set about whatever it was he was doing. He had no time to smile. Next to him, sat a woman wearing large Victoria Beckham type sunglasses. I guessed she was a fair amount younger than me; I find putting an age to people tricky anyway (particularly women), but this one didn't help because she was wearing far too much make-up (a trait sadly not always confined to young women who have yet to learn that less is more). She got out a book - The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl - and left it lying out on the table whilst she spoke to a friend on the phone. Her conversation confirmed she was around 17 / 18, not only because she seemed to be talking about her plans to go to university, but because I've noticed that more mature women leave private conversations for a more private place than a train carriage. Or, if they choose to conduct such conversations in public, they do it though text message to avoid letting the world know about their love-life confusions. The man with a laptop visibly tried not to listen. I went back to reading Shakespeare. I had a lecture to write.
I made my connection in good time, and found the right train. Unfortunately, I didn't find the coach in which I had a seat reserved - as often happens, that coach wasn't actually part of the train on this journey. I wandered through and found an empty seat opposite a man with Beautiful Eyes and Business Cards. There were too many of different kinds to all be his businesses, and he didn't look like a sharp suited businessman. I wondered what he did for a living. Someone whose MP3 player was too loud sat across the aisle. Two young men started a conversation:
Boy1: I've not been out in Northern English Town in ages.
Boy2: No? You've got to. There's this really great club where all the drinks are One Pound! All night!.
Boy1: Really?
Boy2: Yeah, you can get really drunk on... er... fifteen pounds.
I giggled at this seemingly unconscious display of asserted 'masculinity'. Boy1 didn't seem sufficiently impressed for it to be effective in changing pack positions. I don't think he knew they were competing.
Beautiful Eyes and Business Cards got off at the first stop. I don't blame the Youthful Competitors or the man with loud music, but I was disappointed. Smiles from Beautiful Eyes make a long journey much brighter.
1 comment:
I love to people watch and trains are a great place to do it! There was an amusing moment on the subway the other day: the girl sitting opposite me had her iPod on very loud. She was listening to 'Man-Eater', sitting, face impassive, while the words blared out and when the train pulled into a station and the carriage fell silent, it became all the more obvious. I watched as first the woman next to her craned her neck discretely to check whose music it was. Then, as the music continued to fill the carriage, the two women further down the carriage, both craned their necks in the same way, at the same time, wearing the same expression on their faces! Made me snigger.
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