Vacant Mind

Train Stories #3 August 27th, 2009

I enjoy reading on the train, it makes the journey seem short and painless as painless as a public transport journey can be.

I have learned these days that it pays to pick the people whom I sit next to, I myself am quite tall and the long legs doesn’t help in a crowded train. So I tend to sit opposite people with shorter legs which makes the journey easier for both of us.

This day I chose to sit next to 3 noisy friends, the girl next to me and the 2 guys opposite me. I’ve never had my ear hurt by someone talking, but she was loud enough speaking of her dodgy friends and horrid workmates. The guys opposite her wrapped in every word that she said, clearly having nothing to say, they continued onward never the less in this round about conversation touching and leaving the same topics over and over again.

I wasn’t able to get through my book like I normally do, I have something else to watch out for next time that I get on the tain.

Tags: melbourne, Train Stories, transport
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The man with 4 brothers who are all different July 15th, 2009

I sighed and exhaled audibly through my mouth, internally it was a sign of my frustration and nervousness, I had an job interview later that day and was a little worried trying to remember everything that I studied.

The guy sitting next to me asked ‘sounds like you have a tough day?’ I responded with ‘nar, just a long one mate, that’s all’

I noticed that he had an interesting ring on his finger, maybe a skull and cross but didn’t get a good look, further long on his forearm there were more linked metal and silver chains. He looked sort of like a bikie without the facial hair, tattoos or attitude. He just seemed like someone who wanted to talk.

So he talked, I learned about his brothers, how all four of them were different, careers, physical appearance, some alive some dead but still a part of him. I learned about his sister in laws how they were different. Eventually we got onto his interest of what attracts people to one another, how nothing is as it seems on the outside. How so true I thought to myself. It was about this point that my stop came up (I was only traveling from one end to another end of Collins street)

I find the city interesting, not only for the places that abound.

Tags: melbourne, Tram Stories, transport
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Train stories #2 June 21st, 2009

It’s been a long day at work and I’m at Richmond station about to board the train home, looking forward to reading my book ‘Dreams of my father’ which I had almost finished, it’s a good book so far, many insights and new thoughts, but there is a lady sitting a couple of rows ahead of me with a radiant smile something that I haven’t seen on someone in a while. A smile that seems to have been on her for a little while, she wasn’t looking at anything just staring out the window and smiling slowly and carefully thumbing a mobile phone looking like she was itching to make a phone call.

Soon enough a phone call is made and a conversation beings with a very excited voice, going over the details of the night before. It was a date, a first date with a guy that she had met through a friend of a friend. She was good looking, not a model but certainly someone that wouldn’t have trouble getting drinks at a bar or club, it certainly sounded like she had difficulty finding the right type of guy before, if not someone interesting it was someone that would treat her the way she wanted.

From the sounds of it, this guy was an interesting fellow himself, “he was so full of life, such a zest of light I have never seen before” and not a bad looker himself  “he wasn’t stunning but he was good looking, like he had got around bit, he likes spending time outdoors and can’t find anyone to spend that time with” and they had run into each other before “we went to the same uni and did the same courses, I knew his brother but not him, we talked about our favorite lectures, subjects and places around the uni”

It was interesting conversation the whole time with her face set in a constant state of happiness such that I couldn’t concentrate on my book, after a little while I put the book down and pulled out the notes on World War II that I had been slowing going through, this required less concentration and could be easily skimmed.

“we are looking forward to seeing each other again, he was so nice, it was nice to finally meet someone that I can get along with so easily”

She hung up the phone and begun twirling the mobile phone again in her hands, almost waiting to make another phone call and tell someone else the story again.

Tags: melbourne, Train Stories, transport
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