Some lucid moments on Trax from Saturday evening.
An teen nine rows away, sporting an ipod, red A’s cap barely containing his fro, eating deep-fried Chinese that smells like dog food.
Snowmen (-women? -eunuchs?) stenciled on the windows.
The convection caused by the sliding doors keeps my legs and lungs toasty, my feet and hands clamy cold.
A toddler two rows behind us alternating between bouts of forlorn wailing and insane giggling – for the entire trip.
Sidewalk salt powdering seats under automated speakers intermittently spouting, “Please consider others” in their lifeless appeal to passengers to keep their feet off the seats.
An early-40s Greek across the aisle, rounding out his khaki pants and white hoodie, bemoaning business lunches over his cell phone, “Yeah, I’d take clients there more often, but I only have a 30-minute lunch and it takes 17 to walk there.”
Somewhere behind us (across from the wailing/giggling toddler?), a male voice outshined in volume only by its red-neckedness – the train’s white noises interspersing his exclamations. “Randy would wear maroon polyester pants and a black leather vest.” […] “Polyester and leather DON’T go together.” […] “And then he went and killed himself.” […] “Some of these trains they bought USED from Colorado.” […] “… scrounge up a couple of bucks and ride one of these all day…”
2 comments:
I find most of my most epiphanic moments are inspired by banal observations of simply people and places. I think that may be why I love public transportation so much; it's a varying venue that fosters my love of people-watching, and, as long as I keep my gaze rather hooded, I'm rarely suspected (at least I like to think so...). Lovely post, I really enjoyed it.
I absolutely love traveling on the Trax. The bus is even better, I swear. Once, I got this 400 pound guy in sullied temple clothes breathing heavily and staring at me for forty-five minutes. It was hilarious and creepy. Another cherished memory is when I sat across from a lady wearing daisy dukes who, I promise you, had cellulite all the way down to her ankles. Amazing, I know. Glad you had such an amazing/horrible time on the Trax!
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