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One Third of a Century
Dec. 19th, 2011 07:49 pmToday I am exactly 331/3 years old. In order to celebrate reaching this third-of-a-century milestone, I went out to a pub with some friends. Unfortunately, two of the friends I invited, who I hadn't seen for a while because they'd been on tour with a production of Stig of the Dump, couldn't make it. Pity that - they'll just have to wait and get their Christmas presents from me in the new year.
I took the train home. Rush hour, so crowded trains, but I managed to get a seat. As usual in those circumstances, I just sat and stared blankly ahead - until about Bingley, when a couple of troglodytes got on. They stood almost directly in my eye line and I wasn't going to turn my vacant gaze away just for them. They seemed to get the idea I was staring at them, instead of through them. So, at Crossflatts they found seats nearby and sat staring at me, trying to intimidate me. I was just doing my impassive thing, which seemed to make it worse, and they started threatening me. "Get off at Keighley, we'll break your nose, and you'll have to go to Airedale," was one. There were others, including calling me sick names. They got off at Keighley. I stayed on and got off at Steeton, and walked home. On the way, I passed the remains of a car accident (probably a head-on collision) that had closed the old Skipton Road while the police examined the scene. There were about a dozen buses parked up by the side of the road, waiting for the all clear. If one of the ones I'd invited out had come out, I'd have been able to go home with them, and I wouldn't have had to stare into space, and have a pair of troglodytes wouldn't have threatened me because they thought I was staring at them.
I took the train home. Rush hour, so crowded trains, but I managed to get a seat. As usual in those circumstances, I just sat and stared blankly ahead - until about Bingley, when a couple of troglodytes got on. They stood almost directly in my eye line and I wasn't going to turn my vacant gaze away just for them. They seemed to get the idea I was staring at them, instead of through them. So, at Crossflatts they found seats nearby and sat staring at me, trying to intimidate me. I was just doing my impassive thing, which seemed to make it worse, and they started threatening me. "Get off at Keighley, we'll break your nose, and you'll have to go to Airedale," was one. There were others, including calling me sick names. They got off at Keighley. I stayed on and got off at Steeton, and walked home. On the way, I passed the remains of a car accident (probably a head-on collision) that had closed the old Skipton Road while the police examined the scene. There were about a dozen buses parked up by the side of the road, waiting for the all clear. If one of the ones I'd invited out had come out, I'd have been able to go home with them, and I wouldn't have had to stare into space, and have a pair of troglodytes wouldn't have threatened me because they thought I was staring at them.
