People On The Train

Richmond To Staines: Three Germans, two men and a woman, sit looking
through the Next Home catalogue discussing every page in detail. How
can you have that many opinions about towels?

Clapham Junction to Fetham: Three twenty-somethings including a Chinese
guy who does all the talking. From what he says I guess he is a lawyer,
he says he would like to kill men who beat up women and admires Russell
Crowe's character in LA Confidential. I doubt he really means it, I
think he is just trying to impress the couple he is with, especially
her, but I don't like it either, I am too liberal and have the English
disease of valuing law over justice. What annoyed me most was the
hijacking of a character in a film I love to argue a point of view I
disagree with. He gets off at Putney, the couple stay till Feltham.
They do not talk much.

Richmond to Clapham Junction: A girl on the phone the entire time
saying only "yeah" over and over again and occasionally "Okay -
goodbye" followed quickly by "hello" as the person on the other end
changes over, and then "yeah". The three of us are already slightly
drunk and start saying "yeah" to each other and can barely contain our
giggles. It earns us a bitter look from her boyfriend when they get
off.

Staines to Reading: A girl in a suit working on a laptop talks on her
mobile and describes in great deal how she had to push through the
rugby crowds to get on the train at Richmond. The next train to
Twickenham was only two minutes away, but the next one to Reading was
forty minutes and she risked missing her connection to Chepstow.

Richmond Station: On the other platform a guy with a kid is arguing
with a guard. Apparently the train they wanted to catch left early
without them. Only he has obviously been to a football match or
something because he is wearing a giant novelty pointing hand and as he
argues he jabs the finger into the air to make his point.

Clapham Junction to Twickenham: Two girls and a guy are going to a
party in Twickenham but stopping at a friends house first where the
girls intend to shower and get changed. Lots of talk about, what else,
Glastonbury tickets. Nobody has any of course but they know people
planning to work there and are considering joining in. The single girl
tried to persuade her company to set up a stall but they did not. They
sit right next to me and talk freely because I have my headphones on,
but I am only listening to some light chamber music so hear every word.
I fantasise about striking up a conversation and them inviting me to
the party, the single girl is dark haired and very attractive, but I
don't even get as far as taking my headphones off.

Clapham Junction to Waterloo: An American man has a chance meeting with
a friend, a much younger girl, and they talk exuberantly about mutual
friends and a fairy-tale jet-set lifestyle. Her just back form Kenya,
him back and forth to the States and off soon to Milan. Was Jan, the
owner of the Milan Villa, having an affair with Jojo the pool boy? They
are not sure. She is off to see her mother in Waterloo before mother
goes to Cornwall. He is on the way back from visiting the same mother.
Surely this cannot be correct, they must mean different people. He is
dating a woman who works in the White House. Recently she threw him a
surprise party for his fiftieth and people came from as far as
California. His new girlfriend did not know how to get hold of his UK
friends so none of them came. His daughter is pregnant. He will be the
first person in his family to survive long enough to see a
grandchild.

Canada Water to Waterloo: A family of east Europeans, I cannot place
the accent or the language. The teenage girl takes a raw green pepper
from her lunchbox and eats it like an apple. The old guy on the other
side of the car and I exchange surprised glances.

Highbury and Islington to Wood Green: After a night in the pub Rick
decides to come back with us for more beer but they will not let him on
the tube with his bicycle. We plead and fortunately it is late and the
man lets us through. Once on the train he realises that he never bought
a ticket. At Wood Green we move with military precision. Alex takes the
bike and distracts the guard getting it through the barrier while Rick
follows Jim through the machine with me close behind. The three of us
going through with two tickets.

Turnham Green Station: A Chinese girl walks between the platforms with
her hands permanently in the back pockets of her jeans. Oh that they
were my hands.