Once that I was on the train to Amsterdam. A lady, in her mid-30s, sat opposite to me in the cabin. She made a phone call from her mobile, and to my surprise and delight, she is a native English speaker. So I followed the conversation of her side without difficulty.
She said,
'Hello, Mr Anderson, hi, I am fine.... I am on the train right now...
...Seems there is again some problem with the rail. I am afraid I won't be able to attend the meeting...
...Yeah, will take at least 2 hours to get there...there is just no point anymore...
...yeah, this is already the second time this month. I have had no idea. It is just unbelievable....
...no....no, 'course not...
...yeah, its better we arrange to meet with them another time...
...yeah, I have received his email. I have made some of the modifications he asked...but it is gonna take soem time...
...I think I will just go back to eindehoven and work on it this afternoon...
...yeah...yeah...could you please tell him to call me? He's got my number...yeah...this afternoon or maybe tomorrow...tomorrow is better...
...okay, this afternoon then....okay....bye. You take care too.'
There is nothing sensational in this dialogue, yet it did leave much space for my own interpretation. A lonesome woman, in a foreign country, a cabin on a moving train, they together form an image worth some speculation.
And, what are the reactions on the other side of the phone?
How are the other people on the train/platform like at that moment?
What is her true mental state underneath her calm appearance?
And, what is going to happen next?
I tried to free my imagination and let it go on various directions.
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