Thursday, October 23, 2008

Just to lighten the mood

Ok, that last post about missing the boat is just too depressing, and it's really not *THAT* big of a deal, I just talked to David and he's feeling OK about it and did catch the 7:55am ferry.

I heard an interesting exchange on the bus I wanted to write about:

The man on the bus was probably in his late 30's or early 40's, skinny, with a bird-like nose and booming voice. He started talking about fertility and ovulation, throwing big words out there that no one understands. One of those words was "doctor", and I could see all the women on the bus sizing him up out of the corner of their eyes, trying to see if this "doctor" was attractive.

Soon it became clear that he was talking about his and wife's difficulty in having a child. He's recounting stories of doctor's visits, speaking to one woman but really telling the entire bus his personal business.

"I'm not going to put another woman's egg in her uterus!!"

"Yeah, I'd consider adopting, I was adopted."

"I try to keep positive, but this is private stuff."

PRIVATE? The ENTIRE bus was listening and responding. The woman next to me groaned in sympathy. I saw flickers of smiles, eyes darting over to him. I didn't pick up my book for the entire ride because the subject matter was both fascinating and embarrassing. This conversation was anything but private, since he has a naturally loud voice.

When his friend got off the bus, suddenly everyone fell silent. I think that's when the man realized how loud he'd been talking, and he quickly switched seats, to move closer to the comfort of the window.

I feel awkward for him. The things people say on the bus.

4 comments:

dog grrrrl said...

I lived in a friends MIL apartment the ENTIRE time she and her husband were going through infertility and trust me that whole thing is so all consuming I don't think they were capable of talking about anything else.

Even I (who doesn't have any intention of having children) found myself with knowledge of drugs and bodily functions I never thought I'd know about. I spent months giving her shots (her husband was squeamish)I think it's like new parents who talk a lot about poop :)

Dan-Eric Slocum said...

Kristin. Andy and I relate to this post on SO MANY LEVELS.

Some of what we overhear is beyond description.

It is truly the challenge of my writing project. These unbelievable things are actually more outlandish than FICTION I could *make up*

- A - C - said...

I agree with Eric... the conversations you can overhear on an average train or bus where at least 20% of the passengers are talking on the mobile are both sad and hilarious, and most of them go beyond our imagination. Probably our society accept this form of sharing as a means to connect to an otherwise silent audience... or maybe it's a rude behaviour!

Isabel said...

And that is why I NEVER talk on the phone on the bus. (But I always listen when others are talking. I'd hate to miss a conversation like this one!)