Life in a Metro

The other day while I was in the toilet, I did some quick maths and figured out that I spend 270 hours a year on an average in the metro. As I have nothing else to do but to wait for my stop to come, often I observe the fellow commuters. Where for the most part, I share my journey with people who are confined to themselves as if they have been sentenced to a solitary confinement or a high school couple who are completely oblivious of the fact that there are also other people surrounding them and think the metro to be the best place on the earth to make out and to prove their commitment towards each other; I often encounter some very peculiar people.

- The Vibrating Dude: He always makes a grand entrance with a smirk on his face. The bloke should be easily in his 40s if not in the 50s. Every time I see him, I find him with the same attire; a cap placed at 45° angle, a Redskins jacket, an Aeropostale Tshirt, a Kaporal jeans, a Redskins shoes and a handbag which looks like a music system. Somehow he always manages to find a vacant seat in front of me. He sits, listens to the music and keeps on shaking unintermittedly as if there is some kind of vibrator fitted to his buttocks. His body piercing increases with every month and he loves to flaunt them. Somehow, he lives a pretentious life with a constant hunger of appraisal and adulation. 

- The Karmeliet Group: Almost every Saturday on my way back home from work, I meet these 4 drunk guys with a bottle of Triple Karmeliet beer in their hands. All four of them wear black suits, slim fit vintage faded jeans and faux leather shoes; a neat idea to find each other easily if lost in a crowded place. I got the chance to talk to these guys a couple of times. I learned that they go to the same club every Saturday to find a pretty girl and to get laid. They said life is synonym to fun and party and alcohol is their only help to open up to others.

- The Nursing Mom: The son is mentally challenged and is very fond of watching the metros passing by. I see this guy very often standing on the platform staring at the metros approaching and going away. He somehow finds this very entertaining and loves to replicate the noise that the metro makes. What's more remarkable is his mother who stands just behind him and let her son have his share of fun. She never feels embarrassed neither gets tired standing for hours. She loves her son unconditionally and has devoted her life for his happiness.

- "She loves me, she loves me not" guy: The first time I saw these two, the girl was crying her heart out. Apparently she was ditched by her boyfriend and this friend of her did his best to convince her that she deserved a better guy during the entire journey. Since then, every time I see both of them, I find the girl resting her head on the shoulder of the guy and talking about her ex. Although one could easily tell that the guy loves her, he dares not confess it. Months have passed by and I still find the girl in the same position and still talking about her ex. And the guy would still try his best to convince her that she deserves a better guy.

- The Roms: France has seen a boom in the population of the Roms since 2007. Not going into the details about their activities or motives, one would often find the kids in the metro playing an instrument or doing pole fitness. Generally they are loud and they love being that way. What I like about them is their positive attitude towards life and to be happy with the little things they have.

- Les SDFs: The SDFs or the homeless people, have almost a similar lifestyle like the Roms; they are loud and don't care about others. What makes them different though is how they have given up on their lives. I can't recollect a single moment when I saw them without a beer can on one hand and a cigarette on the other, be it early in the morning or in the afternoon.

I remember once my father reading me from a newspaper over a cup of morning tea, "Sometimes life is going to hit on your head with a brick. Don't lose faith. Your time is limited. So don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. Everything else is secondary."