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?
