i-want-more

Breaking glass

Soundtrack: Low by Bowie

I had quite a disturbing experience yesterday evening. After a chance meeting with JJ at the station at Richmond, we travelled home on the bus together. Midway through our journey we heard a commotion downstairs (and no Lloyd Cole in sight. Sorry - couldn't resist that one), but we paid little mind to it.

As we approached our stop and went downstairs, we were greeted by the sight of a large and very drunk middle-aged man in a yellow high-vis jacket, railing angrily at a woman. Quite what had precipitated this, I have no idea, but it certainly wasn't pleasant.

Two South African girls were in front of us and one of them decided to have a pop at the drunk. I really salute her for having a go, but it was clear to all that this man was a) a nutcase and b) violent. Sure enough, the bloke got of the bus, but blocked the door and attempted to take a swing at the girl. At this point, the driver acted. He closed the door and shouted to us all that he would drive on to the next stop. Our drunk then kicked one side of the middle door of the bus five or six times. The glass shattered and showered over us all.

It was surprising how much this scared me.

Unfortunately, there are a set of traffic lights just a few yards from the bus stop. The drunk continued to shout abuse through the shattered door and decided to kick in the other side, which also shattered. By this point, another passenger was on the phone to the police. The bus was evacuated at the next stop.

I'm not sure what the point of mentioning this was, really. I suppose that the peace is breached so infrequently in my cosy little world, that it really had an impact.

******

Honourable mentions for Lost and the Derren Brown Heist thing on channel 4 last night. I went to bed a nervous wreck.

posted by deafdisco @ 10:02 am