I've been commuting to Pleasanton via the ACE Train lately, because of the Sales Tax Subsidies it's pretty cheap. Guess I'm finally getting directly back some of my sales tax dollars.
So today I climb onboard and follow the cattle upstairs, find a great seat and unpack the laptop. The stalls seats on the second tier of the train car are paired up, with two sets of seats facing each other. Normally you end up with one person at each couplet, sitting diagnally and diligently attempting to not stare are each other and not knock knees. While booting up, I hear a lady sitting in another seat paring directly in front of me on her cell phone. She's sitting with her back to me, and a very nice looking Indian / Fjian guy has his Apple Notebook open facing me, but not directly facing her.
The lady is chatting away, it's just words flying by in the air until a few keywords hit the ear: "...and so I borrowed money from Stan to pay Mabel and still have to pay off my bail bond." Huh?? You can't help but attempt to listen without listening.
"Yeah, I was in for four months..." No, I can't listen, this is SO WRONG. But it's like watching a NASCAR Car wreck - no one got hurt so it's alright to watch right? I mean she's here on the train. Probably a DUI, not an axe murderer.
Anyway, the nice Indian / Fijian guy gives her a sideways look. It's funny because with the pupils to my left, the stark whites of his eyes fill the right side of his eyes and contrast sharply with his dark complexion. And of course the Apple logo framing the bottom of the scene.
The lady blithely chats on...blah...blah...blah...blah..."so then my daughter got arrested....". The guy looks over to her again. I just about blow a gasket trying to stifle a laugh. I have to cover my face with one hand in order to not be so obvious. "....yeah, she's getting a divorce - he's in jail ...." The guy looks over at her again. I can see the wheels turning in his head - "Do I move? Is this person dangerous? Who in the hell an I sitting with???"
Thankfully, we hit the Altamont hills and her cell phone cuts out. She's quiet, and the nice Indian / Fijian guy continues to work on his laptop, trying to ignore the lady he's sitting with. I haven't caught him looking at her again - he must have a will of coiled steel - maybe the Apple Notebook acts as a shield.
P.S. The guy I'm sitting with looks like the typical 20-something, super-small goatee, dark sunglasses, baseball cap, jeans and a sweat shirt. He has a backpack and a skateboard - reading the San Joaquin Herald. He's just about finished with the front page section - currently skimming / reading the national news section. He's probably working at Google in Mt. View and makes twice as much as me.
P.S.S. The lady and the Indian / Fijian guy actually spoke!! She asked him a question about bus transfering in San Jose - and he rattled off the boiler plate info about bus transfers and using the ACE Train pass. She gets back on the cell phone and he starts sneaking glances at her.
P.S.S.S. A pregnate lady who looks like Gwenyth Paltrow, knitting something with green yarn (not well formed enough to identify what) is open mouth chewing gum like an 8 year old girl. She is now sitting across the aisle from me. The gum cracks every once in a while to my right.
I'm not sure how long I can ride the Train. I think I'm going to bust a gut.
