cows

It was the day after the concert - I was late for lunch but I wasn't really too bothered. I adjusted the volume on my brand new black & red ipod and glanced at the tube map again just to make sure I was at the right platform. There were very few people around, Sunday I guess. The train rolled in to the platform and I got in and found myself a seat. A couple sitting across me caught my eye. They had identical plastic shopping bags with cows printed on them. Lots of cows. And they were both ugly, very ugly. You could tell that he was quite troubled. Or maybe he always looked like that. She was in some kind of trance looking at nothing in particular. She looked a bit retarded actually. They were probably in their 30s, married for sure. Shiny Happy People started to play on my ipod. Could they be happy? Could they be having good sex? I looked away. Through the glass I was able to see the next platform. Another couple. They were young and beauitful, at least she was. They were waiting for their train, if you could call it waiting. They had their arms around each other, her hands underneath his jacket. They started to kiss each other slowly - not sloberring over each other the way some couples kiss in public. Then suddenly, she stood up on tiptoe and kissed him on his forehead. The doors shut and our train pulled away. I was left looking at the ugly couple. And the cows.

1.

Today, I was standing at the window and I saw the couple who live downstairs leave the building. They're both white. He is from Kenya (but he only says he grew up there) and she is from the US. He was wearing a bright yellow shirt. I don't think I could ever wear a bright yellow shirt. Pink maybe. But bright yellow? I wonder if she chose it for him. Probably not. He is the type who would choose to wear a bright yellow shirt. Looking at them walk towards the gate of the complex, I got a sudden pang. I don't know what it was. Here was this white guy who had grown up in Kenya and now he was walking around Cambridge with a bright yellow shirt. Soon they were gone and I was left staring at the path. I went inside and made myself some green tea.