10 CLACK; 20 goto 10;

Waiting at the bus stop today I wasn't in the best of moods having just discovered that the joiner moved my new desk in order to fit a skirting board. This isn't too bad, in and off itself, but he obviously dragged it out of the way, where it caught a bit of grit and carved a lovely foot long groove in my new floor. I know it's inevitable that the floor will get scratched and dented, but I was rather hoping I'd at least be responsible for doing it.

Anyway, whilst passing time at the bus stop, a mother came along to wait, with her newborn daughter and seven or eight year old son in tow. The son had a couple of large pens with some sort of plastic attachment at the end. I'm assuming they were Happy Meal toys - they both bore the likeness of Disney's Cinderella, and I don't think the son was terribly happy with that. With most of the mothers attention focused on the gurgling newborn, the son was left to his own devices and amused himself by banging the pens on the wall on which he was sprawled.

CLACK-CLACK-CLACK

Well, that's a bit annoying. Still I had a newspaper to concentrate on so I did my best to put it out of my mind. At least the bus was due soon, so I wouldn't have to put up with it for too much longer.

CLACK-CLACK-CLACK

Fifteen minutes later, with little respite in the incessant, and increasingly irritating noise, the bus arrived. Huzzah! Peace at last. I boarded the bus, sat down and once more buried myself in my newspaper. And then mother and children boarded the bus. Fortunately, the mother sat herself down the front, whereas I was sitting nearer the back. Unfortunately, that didn't stop the son running down to the back of the bus, to sit... directly behind me. Still, at least he didn't seem to be making any...

CLACK-CLACK-CLACK

It's alright. I'm alright. I'm not going to get upset about it. Take a deep breath, relax and...

CLACK-CLACK-CLACK

It's clear that he's just trying to get some attention from his mother, who's obviously besotted with her newborn. I'm sure she'll recognise that in a minute and ask him to stop...

CLACK-CLACK-CLACK

Ah, see, there. She's told him to stop it. And he's stopped. My faith in humanity is restored, all is well with the world and...

CLACK-CLACK-CLACK

Well, she told him once, so I'm sure she'll tell him again any moment now. Any moment...

CLACK-CLACK-CLACK

Oh, for goodness sake! Still it's only a 40 minute bus ride. I can't believe he'll be able to keep going for all that time. It's hardly the most involving of games, after all, and if it's truly meant to attract Mum's attention it's really not doing a terribly good job on that front. He'll get bored and give up. Any rational child would.

CLACK-CLACK-CLACK

30 minutes... of course, I should consider the possibility that this is not a rational child.

CLACK-CLACK-CLACK

20 minutes to go. Perhaps I could make an escape though the emergency door. Of course, the kid is next to the door. He might fall out "accidentally" when I try to get out...

CLACK-CLACK-CLACK

10 minutes... I begin to mentally prepare my defense. Temporary insanity perhaps? Surely no judge or jury could possibly convict me...

CLACK-CLACK-CLACK

Oh, thank goodness. They've gotten off a few stops before mine, thus preventing the untimely end of a small child and my unfortunate incarceration. Would I have been out of line to say something? To the kid? To the mother? I'm unsure. Despite my protestations, I obviously managed to cope with the noise, as did my fellow passengers, and the Mum did have her hands full with her other child. I don't think my intervention would have been appreciated, and judging by the malevolent gleam in the son's eye, I doubt it would have made all that much difference...

Thought iMark at July 3, 2005 10:03 PM | TrackBack