Wednesday 30 January 2013

on the road 2

The train between Wiesbaden and Mainz, late afternoon.
A few moments before leaving two young people come on board. A girl and a guy. Disturbing my reading of the Buddenbrooks.
She, dark haired, tall, legs like a stick insect, about 18 years old. He just looks like most 18 year old guys seem to look nowadays.
Their final exams, the Abitur, is coming. It turns out that he has started learning, she hasn't. Giving him the feeling that he is actually quite a bore.
She talks about herself, constantly. Asking him some questions for the sole purpose of making him feel inferior.
She can't wait to move out and study somewhere else. Business administration and economy. She is not good at maths but so what, it's the best thing to study. No gap year or anything is planned - she wants to do another internship and an English class. Once school is over she wants to change and really work hard so she can land a good job afterwards.
Maybe moving to London, completely ignoring his comments about London being to expensive even for her.
He is obviously getting more and more impatient and uncomfortable.
His dad is "only" a teacher not an entrepreneur as hers. He wants to study in his hometown in order to save money. He is scared of failing in the maths exams. But is wise enough to plan to do nothing for a few months after school is out in order to chill. It's the generation that uses "to chill" a lot.
She seems to know everything, at least better than he does, speaks too loud, moves to narcisstic.
When they leave I want to pad him on the shoulder with sympathy and tell him about the average rent in London city.
I hope he hasn't got a crush on her.

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