Underground, overground

scenes of a commute

I was late for work one day, the Tube was uncrowded. Opposite me sat a woman in full burqa dress. Only her eyes were visible through the slit of the veil. The skin around the eyes was a rich brown. Her hands held a copy of the Koran, which she opened and read between stations. Outside the train, a Hasidic Jew walked past the window.

On the 155 Bus from Stockwell, a young girl boarded the bus with her mother. She ran up to me, as if we were known to each other. She held out her hands, revealing a white stone, like quartz. Look, she said, heavily accented, I got this in school. I told her it was nice, and she remained there staring and grinning. I wasn't sure what to do.

During that same ride, I was looking down at my book, listening to music. I looked out of the window to my right, to see a car full of yoofs. One in the back looked at me, smiling broadly. It looked like they were having a good time. I think I must have smiled back. The boy slowly raised a proud middle finger at me, and the car accelerated away.

Back on the Tube, I sat next to a young woman, probably in her late teens. She was simply dressed. Her hands held a piece of paper. The tips of her fingers were almost white, she was gripping the note tightly. She glanced down at it, mouthed words, looked up and kept mouthing, half-covering the paper. I looked over to see what was written on it, piecing it together as I caught a word or two. She looked diagonally across the carriage to a similarly dressed man, they exchanged looks.
The note was a to-do list, and read as follows

- be a better wife and friend
- know God more
- look at work more (eg. tasks)

Standing in a crowded Tube carriage on the way home I spied a discarded note on the floor. I awkwardly crouched to try and pick it up, letting go of my grip on the pole that I was using to steady myself. The train lurched and I nearly fell, fingers closing on the note. Apologising to my silent but judgmental travelling companions whom I had falling into, I left the train. Here's the note (click on it for a larger view).


London | Tube | England | Travel | Found | Underground