Observational Travel

Picture the scene.... Yesterday I am sitting on the train, as part of my day of travel.  I have three hours of confinement in the carriage.  A man and woman get on, move swiftly along the aisle and deposit themselves at a table.  I always avoid tables – while practical, they often attract over zealous eaters, writers, consumers of the entire table, or super-chatty people as they are directly opposite you, two feet away.

There was already a young lady at the table when they sat.  The couple put their bags in the storage area above, made themselves comfortable, and the woman immediately launched into introductions with their table companion.

The husband of chatty-Cathy seemed to develop an expression which suggested: Oh good, she’s found someone to chat to and I don’t need to be the receiver of her near-constant verbal volcano.

I could not see the single lady sitting opposite ‘Cathy’ as she had her back to me.

It’s sometimes difficult to tune people out, especially when they are quite full of conversation a few seats away, but also because I was keenly observing the unfolding relationship at the table.

In the first 30 minutes a lot of information was exchanged.  I use exchange in the loosest sense.  It was a one-way transfer, with the occasional polite nod.

Without relaying the entire conversation, I can summarise as follows:

The couple were on the train as they had skidded on a country road, while driving their open-top car.  They were fine, however the car was in-effect written-off. They were tootling home via the 200 mile train journey.  How they laughed as they related previous travel tragedies.

A few years ago they decided to take a trip to Indonesia to celebrate her recovery from breast cancer.  Hubby caught ‘the fever’ and was out of action for some time.

The following year they went skiing but husband ended up with a detached retina.   After recovering they kept it more local and went to the Isle of Wight in the south of the UK, where she cracked four ribs and was airlifted back to the mainland.

The chronicles just kept coming.

Their travelling table companion must be thinking: Too much information.

Whereas I am sitting there thinking, “Please get off this train before the next disaster happens”.

The near silent young woman left the train shortly thereafter.  The couple left a few stops later.