Monday, January 12, 2004

Soap Train

Bizarre train journey back from Manc. This shambolic man sat down next to me. He looked like he used to drum in Oasis, and smelt worse. He was clutching several cans of Strongbow, and belching.

He announced his true nastiness by neatly stealing all my elbow room and then going for my leg room.

And then he made a phone call, his voice slurring "Yeah - 's'me. I'm coming to see ya. I've been evicted. 'Swear on the kids life I have. On my way now. On the train. Jus pick us up from the Station, will ya? Yeah. I'm on the train. Course I'm sober (slurp). Swear to you. Will you pick us up from Leighton Buzzard?"

And on and on he went, with occasional pauses to go and either throw up/smoke in the loos.

Evidently, his entire life had just fallen apart, and - drunk out of his head - he was on his way to his ex wife and the kids.

After a while, his phone rang, and his wife's current partner rang, and tried to convince him it wasn't a good idea.

There was shouting - of the weird aggrieved/aggressive kind that rattles between "Will ya help us?" and "It's your fault." And then another trip to the lav, from which he'd return smelling even worse...

I concentrated on watching Sapphire and Steel. Which is marvellous and lovely and belongs to a nicer world.

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