I'm not what you would call a people person. Or rather I'm not a random people person because they either never seem to enter a pot or they don't play their hands all that well. On very rare, special occasions though they surpass even the greatest of expectations and deliver the type of warm glow that knowns by definition simply cant.
I was travelling back on an expected 8 hour Journey the other day when two hours in I started to feel terribad. A tidal wave of the brown shizzle hit me and there was a seismic shift from me feeling fine and dandy to me feeling like I was knee deep in man flu (the bit where you can just about bare to be alive). Aching like I was some giants hill rolling play ting I knew the rest of the journey was going to be the mother of all bitches. So I did what any right minded poker player would do in such a spot. I zoned out everything else and had just one aim in mind, to get home and pill up.
Hours passed like weeks and I realised I had a new nightmare/experience fear and I was right in the middle of it. The zoning out helped and I was chuffed to bits as I approached the final two legs. I was an 80% fave as I started my 2nd to last train journey but I was uber struggling. I was sat to the rear of a full carriage with a female randomer to my left as I tried to keep it all together. This woman then turned to me, rustled a bag of sweets and asked me if I would like one. I declined respectfully with a smile on my face as the offer was like a devine pick me up message from a higher power. Given that I do almost all of my travel on public transport I just couldn't recall such a similar kind gesture ever happening before and the warm glow freed me from my torment. Then I started to feel a tad guilty that I was simply unable to partake in any sort of conversation meaningful or otherwise as I couldn't afford the luxury of losing all that valuable energy. I had my goal and I had to stick to it or be fecked.
Then the phase stared that I had been fighting off for the last 4 hours. I could feel my energy being sapped out of my body and I was burning up like that floppy fella on bonfire night. Off came my coat and had it been even remotely socially acceptable I would probably have stripped down to my undies but alas it was too late. I knew I was right on the edge of the popping zone and I turned to the kind soul on my left and told her I really didn't feel all that well. She advised me to pop my head between my legs and take in some deep breaths. My thighs started to become enlarged in my view and then poppio....
I started straightening my back and due to the combination of feeling like Id just taken a one dip bath and the altered configuration of a few passengers and the conductor I kinda grasped my spot, Id been sparked out cold. I then regained far more functionality than I had previously been capable of and realised the precision of my new spot. I was relaying my next train information to the conductor and my wait at an empty, dark station just as another randomer had one of those light bulb moments. Its not nice to make blanket assumptions/reads on individuals but given my spot and my actions I was happy to go with my gut. This tattooed heavyweight was asking me what time it was and was trying to edge into FBI territory and it was so out of line that I had no option but to put them at the top of their range. This was starting to feel like a nightmare spot. The kind hearted Angel to my left exited the game as we arrived at her stop and I was now facing a very tricky spot. With my outs feeling pretty shitty the next randomer who had been on the periphery of the action offered me a lift home a stop early thus bypassing what could be a truely fkd up run bad spot. Although I semi-declined verbally, I shamefully angled for a repeat offer which duely came and I gratefully snapped it off.
Leading upto and during the car ride home me and Mark discussed the spot and confirmed that he had a similar read on the heavyweight. Thankfully he lolled when I said he was my partner in crime and that we were just luring him into an elaborate car jacking scam :P
Special thanks to the the train Angel and Mark. Without whom my weekend may have been a darn sight worse than it otherwise was. Thank you both for showing such compassion and for restoring some of my faith in humanity.
In our polarised uber open, uber closed society its often difficult for us to experience the kindness of randomers.
Some randomers are actually sound. Are you a sound randomer?
Sermon Endethed
Oh....I fell into a heater feltside (more next time) , yay me :)
