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February 23, 2006
Riding a streetcar to work.
I get up in the morning and go to a job. Nothing particularly special about that, except that it's been a while since I was expected to be at a specific desk for a number of hours each day.
There's a commute involved, obviously. What's the protocol for running into not-strangers when riding public transportation? I just rode a few stops with a woman I know only by her name and face. As for the rest of her, she's a complete mystery.
When we made eye contact and realized there was no going back, I took off my headphones and said hello. Then, I noted that I thought she lived in a different part of town.
"Just dropping my kid off at school," she said.
"Ah," said I, nodding sagely.
I smiled. Then she smiled. And then we sat like socially awkward lumps until she got off.
Now, I'm left to replay this interaction for the duration. Can't let the stilted nature of this exchange color my day, no more than I can let the dogshit I stepped in at the streetcar stop inform each step to be taken.
Posted by Your Protagonist at 08:15 AM | Comments (0)