Who Knows

Everyone knows not to engage with fellow passengers whilst travelling - he didn't 

he who staggered down the carriage

hoping to engage with someone 

he whistled loudly - no-one whistles that loudly 

especially on a train 

He had a can of beer in one hand

and held onto the seat backs with the other 

as he swayed down the carriage

and 

choosing to sit opposite us - I felt my fellow travellers

immediately relax

and with another swig from the blue can 

and removing his ear-buds

he started a monologue aimed at us. 

He said something about a bad acid trip

drug taking and bad dreams

asking if we'd like to guess which country he was born in

a country; he added knowingly

which didn't exist anymore.

The answer was West Germany - so technically he was correct

but it all sounded like a well used

well rehearsed and now we'll worn opening gambit

to try and fit in

to try and find a friend - someone to engage with

someone like us.

Our somewhat autistic new friend managed to dropped in the fact he was a grammar school lad

I thought this had a ring of truth about it

but to look at him

it hadn't done him any favors

He mentioned the festival circuit 

I could see him at a few well known music festivals - but who knows  believing him was becoming harder to do!

He let slip his destination and the  station he required

which to our great fortune was coming up soon

then, mid-sentence 

he suddenly stood up and headed at some pace to the toilets - leaving nothing but a silence 

and an aroma 

it wasn't a bad aroma

just distinctive.

On his return

he walked straight passed us

choosing the seats behind ours.

I knew he was there because that familiar aroma 

climbed over the back of our seats to join us.

We didn't really know he'd gone either

he used the exit door at the other end of the carriage

off to go to - who-knows-where

off to meet- who knows?

He had money for beer and a train ticket - well I assume he'd paid for a ticket

he had a phone that was charged and which was playing music - we could hear it!

Who he was - we never found out

Was his story fact or fiction - who knows?

But he's out there now - maybe on another train

maybe heading somewhere else

looking for someone else to talk at

someone to try his 

'country which doesn't exist anymore' 

line on

...Who knows?