For all commuters on public transport its one of those questions you dread to hear.
" Excuse me, is this seat taken?"
Give the wrong answer and it will mean you have to give up a big portion of the arm rest or give up vital leg room and develop deep cramp in foot, leg, thigh or bum area.
You may also have to suffer snoring, scratching (?), bad breath and sudden wafts of BO
But there is true physics here. Theres an equal dilemma for the asker for they have to weigh up their chances on who best to pose the iternal question at.
A couple of weeks back I found myself in such a predicament.
It was 16.57.55 precisely on a warm July day. I had run full pelt across the London Liverpool St train station concourse, oblivious to anyone or anything that came in my way ( which happened to be 100+ other commuters hell bent on doing the same thing but in the opposite direction) All had one goal - get the bloody train!
Platform 13. The station attendant has whistle in mouth ready to blow. He sees only a blur as i jump on to the train. Phew made it! The train is not usually full, so I should find a seat. I walk briskly though carriages G to C as they are are full. Carriage B is partially full. Where to sit ? there are choices here: next to an overly large man who is already overspilling into an unoccupied seat? or next to a young city type with mobile strapped to his head? or heavily panting largish old man with walking stick??
" Excuse me, but is this seat taken ? " I ask the old man with the walking stick.
He looks up " No dear, do sit here" he says. What a nice man I think to myself. He almost seems pleased to have some company. Most unusual. I tell him I'm glad I made the train as I really had to put my skates on from the office in the Strand. He laughs and we happily talk bout what travel was like in his day going to London. We discuss everything, politics, football, blogs and the iphone. What a nice old man. Im so glad I made the right choice to sit in this seat for it will be a while before I ask the "Is this seat taken ?" question again......
Yes my commuting days to London after 7 years are now at an end. (temporarily I hope) I am now working at a company 10 minutes from my house! My new collegues are very quick to tell me that I must be really happy to not have to commute to London now. I sigh and say yeah i guess I dont miss the 6.00am starts. But I tell them I certainly enjoyed meeting and sitting next to People/characters, be they eccentrics, axe murderers or complete loonies on the train and tube. For they gave a 5 minute glimpse through a window of their lives. 5 special minutes where they told me something i didnt know. Something that made me think. On my journeys Ive seen faces and faces. A sea of faces. Faces full of wonder and excitement, faces full of fustration and woe. Faces that could tell a thousand stories....
Ah well. I have a new question now . What to do with my evenings ? I have them back after 7 long years.
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