Wednesday 11 January 2012

If I go missing

If at any point I don't show up for work, it may not be due to a cancelled train. Please question my fellow passengers. There is a man that gets on at the same station and very often sits in the row in front of my table, so that he is facing me. I have lost count of the number of times I've looked up to catch him staring intensely at me through the crack in the seats like a modified Kilroy. He's middle aged, balding and wears thick glasses and big headphones. I shall dub him Hard Stare Guy.

I've recently changed my preferred carriage. Now that there are regularly 4 carriages, I can avoid the Office Workers from Hell. Either Hard Stare Man has done the same thing, or he's following me.

There are very few other regular commuters with whom I haven't exchanged pleasantries or little wry comments over the years, or even just a little nod. Fragrant Nescafé Guy never speaks other than to exchange a gruff ETA with his wife/mother on the phone, but even he gives me a nod of recognition occasionally. Not Hard Stare Man though. He never does anything but stare.

When I catch him staring, he never looks sheepish or smiles. I don't think he's flirting. He looks more like the guy you wouldn't want to meet out jogging on your own. Every time I catch him looking at me, I hear the "donk donk" from an episode of Law & Order.

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