Why does this happen!?
On a train this morning coming into Richmond, a young fella walks down the aisle, laptop bag on his left shoulder, clutching both a coffee (in a cardboard cup) and a reading book in his right hand.
He catches another bloke, in front of me to the left, with his laptop bag, apologising as he does so. Then he sits down in the middle of a three-seater with me on his left and some old fella on the right. Half landing on me as he sits down, he again apologises, but his predicament is obvious so everyone just cuts him a little slack.
Then, about five minutes later when everything's settled down, suddenly, and without any warning, the old dude's day takes a turn for the worse.
For no apparent reason, and as quick as a flash, the lid shoots off of Coffee-guy's cup, bringing his fingers together in a snap, thereby crushing the cup and rapidly expelling the contents into the air.
As the coffee comes down again, it lands mostly on the old fella on the right, completely ruining his head-to-toe beige ensemble. It's on his sports coat. It's on his trousers. There's even a bit dripping from his nose. The leather case on his lap is now distinctly moist.
Feeling for the chap, I give him the pack of tissues in my pocket, exchange a "lucky escape there" smile with the girl opposite who smiles back, and then sit back again happy to have helped, and ready to embark on more smiling with the girl opposite.
And then the chuckles start to come... starting with the slight turning up of the mouth, then a bit more of a grin, and a slight reddening of the cheeks. I'm desperate to release a chortle. The more I feel the desperation of the guy in the middle who is still shaking his head and apologising minutes after the accident, the more I want to unleash my suppressed sniggering.
Now convinced that everyone on the train was watching me desperately trying to restrain my giggles, I saw my lucky escape, and with the train still showing no signs of slowing down for a stop, I made my way for the exit.
Having seemingly escape, the old guy then moved to get off at the same stop, and when he got up to join me at the doors nearly five minutes later, I had to fight the urges a second time.
I'm curious though - Why does it happen? I really felt for the old dude!
On a train this morning coming into Richmond, a young fella walks down the aisle, laptop bag on his left shoulder, clutching both a coffee (in a cardboard cup) and a reading book in his right hand.
He catches another bloke, in front of me to the left, with his laptop bag, apologising as he does so. Then he sits down in the middle of a three-seater with me on his left and some old fella on the right. Half landing on me as he sits down, he again apologises, but his predicament is obvious so everyone just cuts him a little slack.
Then, about five minutes later when everything's settled down, suddenly, and without any warning, the old dude's day takes a turn for the worse.
For no apparent reason, and as quick as a flash, the lid shoots off of Coffee-guy's cup, bringing his fingers together in a snap, thereby crushing the cup and rapidly expelling the contents into the air.
As the coffee comes down again, it lands mostly on the old fella on the right, completely ruining his head-to-toe beige ensemble. It's on his sports coat. It's on his trousers. There's even a bit dripping from his nose. The leather case on his lap is now distinctly moist.
Feeling for the chap, I give him the pack of tissues in my pocket, exchange a "lucky escape there" smile with the girl opposite who smiles back, and then sit back again happy to have helped, and ready to embark on more smiling with the girl opposite.
And then the chuckles start to come... starting with the slight turning up of the mouth, then a bit more of a grin, and a slight reddening of the cheeks. I'm desperate to release a chortle. The more I feel the desperation of the guy in the middle who is still shaking his head and apologising minutes after the accident, the more I want to unleash my suppressed sniggering.
Now convinced that everyone on the train was watching me desperately trying to restrain my giggles, I saw my lucky escape, and with the train still showing no signs of slowing down for a stop, I made my way for the exit.
Having seemingly escape, the old guy then moved to get off at the same stop, and when he got up to join me at the doors nearly five minutes later, I had to fight the urges a second time.
I'm curious though - Why does it happen? I really felt for the old dude!
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