The fight began before it began. We were at 30th Street Station waiting for a train to Atlantic City. At Au Bon Pain, Sean failed to estimate how much his sandwich would cost and so he failed to take the appropriate amount of money from his wallet. He waited for the cashier to display the amount then rifled through his wallet and pockets, like a normal person . I don’t want to date a normal person. I want to date Efficient. We sat to eat. Clocks ticked and our train’s number worked its way to the top of the Arrivals/ Destinations board. Sean failed to wrap up his sandwich and screw the cap on his sparkling soda before the board displayed our track number. The board displayed our track number. People rushed to track 4 and we both saw it. I got up, speaking with my actions. He stayed seated, wrapping up his trash. Finally, he stood and stepped towards me, but instead of walking towards track 4, he shot all of my remaining love dead by asking, “Mind if I go to the bathroom real quick?”
We got the last two seats together on the car. It took me 20 minutes to open my mouth about it. If I'd said anything sooner, it would have started with, “It’s over” and ended with, “because!! I!! hate!! how!! you!! do! everything!" I would have easily exceeded a rational person's exclamation point quota. The fight filled the car with fierce whispers and bursts of noise. Finally, Sean spackled my mouth shut and dropped my heart when he said, “You’re such a stress-case, Jess; you stress about things after they haven’t even happened. We’re sitting together, right? We got seats, right? You complain and you stress and you worry about EVERYTHING.”
So this is the background for the questions I lately mull over.
1. Where exactly is the line between efficient and stress-case?
2. Why is Sean so freaking relaxed (read: slow)?
3. How much is a crack-pipe?
1 comment:
Very nice. Well written, too. All the comas and periods are in their correct places. But where is the love?
One note seems necessary. We cannot be at all sure that our seats were the last two contiguous ones on the train. You are correct in using the term car. I just prefer to clarify for the inference prone reader.
I remain, your most humble servant, Sean.
Post a Comment