The End of Winter, Last Part

Image by Frank Michin

It’s a long flight of steps up to Camden Road’s platform. When you see people coming down, you know you’ll miss the train.

I never run for it. But yesterday, by some strange delay, it waited wide open for passengers. As we hopped inside, a hurried woman turned around and shouted: ‘There’s plenty of space, wanker!’

She probably expected the doors to then close, but they didn’t.

The platform guy strode into the carriage.

‘I said there was plenty of space down there,’ he shouted back. ‘Mind your manners.’

In typical English fashion, we looked away, suddenly distracted by others.