The warm September weather had turned suddenly to grey October skies.
Raising the collar of my raincoat I walked down the familiar high street to the Tube station...
On the left a cafe that in the 70's had been a Wimpy
(Remembering vividly going in with a 10p piece getting chips on the way home from creche)
A little further the public toilet Felicity Kendal had spent a penny.
Then the pub I had had my first pint and seen Elton John perform.
I bought a coffee ("usual, Jack") and walked down to the platform.
Around me were 30 or so fellow commuters. I had been making the same journey for 22 years. Seeing the same faces, collecting the Friday takeaway from the same restaurant.
The tube came trundling into the station. Once, after a xmas party, I had fallen asleep and found myself in Watford. The driver took pity and gave me a lift home in the driver's cabin...23 going on 5, it was so cool...
I sat down, briefcase on the floor, and switched on a podcast...
At Pinner, the next stop, a few more entered the carriage. A man who I knew vaguely from school, a couple deep in debate about legal precedents...I ignored them and sat still...
The next morning was the same
"Usual, Jack"
"'Ere ye go, DS...watch the match last night? Fucking Bru'al we were"
"Bring back John Barnes and Graham Taylor..."
"Those were the days! See ya tomora"
The same banter. The same train.
But today 6mins late. When we got to Pinner a new crowd came in as well as the regulars. They'd arrived for the next train and jumped on ours.
Two women sat opposite me.
A lady of about 55, elegant and stern (HR Director no doubt)
and a woman of about 35...brown heels, tan tights, a beige coat, brown pin-stripe skirt, brown scarf, white cotton shirt...as my eyes moved up her body I noticed her...elegant, slim, profesional..
White pale face was framed with long red hair...sparringly applied make-up and lip stick.
I looked up and was met with warm green eyes with subtle eye-shadow.
The stranger glanced at me, then switched-on her phone, checking headlines.
As the 25min journey progressed more people entered the carriage, standing in front of me.
I strained to catch a fleeting look at her shoes, arm, leg...anything.
Distracted by people moving onto the train I missed her leaving the train. Picking up my briefcase I stumbled out of the station...30m up the road the woman jumped into a cab and sped into the London traffic....
The next day I arrived at the station at my usual time…same coffee….same routine….same carriage…
As the tube pulled into Pinner I got a shot of adrenaline….would the mystery woman be there?
People bustled into the carriage and there was no sign of her. I shrugged inwardly, slightly disappointed.
Just as the train pulled away I glanced up and saw the woman walking down the steps of the platform, coffee in one hand, free newspaper in the other. She was wearing the same coat under which I could see the flash of a red dress and pale tights…the same red hair vibrant in the drab October light.
Friday morning I walked to my usual Coffee shop
“Usual, Geoff….and, fuck it, it’s Friday, give me a Bacon sarnie”
“You’ll miss yer train…it’ll take a minute…“
“You only live once, eh? The next one comes along in no time”
“DS missing the 7.05? That’ll take Brexit off the front page..!
I heard my usual train pulling away as I paid for the breakfast and walked to my usual spot on the platform. I looked around at the new set of faces around me…different and yet the same – the same “just showered, half asleep, another day another dollar” look about them all.
The train arrived, no different to any other and I slid onto the seat. Next stop Pinner.
The woman duly came aboard. Same beige coat. Boots….expensive blue jeans…white blouse under a brown jumper. She sat down opposite and settled down to read the newspaper. (Friday casual, I guess…Marketing agency? Retail group?.....Marketing of some sort at a guess)
I switched on the radio on my phone (and, Junior Minister, how do you see this impasse being resolved? We are unified, and as one, and let me just say this, that the opposition parties are divided and what we want to achieve is a dynamic and future-looking country, where working with our partners around the world we can take a reinvigorated country into untold new markets…..)
I looked-up. The woman was sitting, legs crossed, confidently completing the crossword in the paper. We were only 2 stops in and the game was almost finished.
On her wrist an expensive silver bracelet hung loosely, a couple of charms mostly hidden under the arm of her coat. She completed the crossword, sighed, and absent-mindedly flicked through the paper. On one page she circled an article then folded the paper and stared out of the window. We were not yet underground and the carriage was beginning to brighten in the evolving daylight.
Her coat fell open. I traced the line of her body in my mind….her blouse open at the neck….brown jumper making a V above her breasts….a thin brown belt buckled at the front of her jeans which were tight to her thighs. I looked briefly at the lines of her groin…just a second….and let my gaze drift to the rest of the carriage.
She was beautiful…
Monday morning.
The morning was brighter than the previous week with crisp sunshine warming the walk to the station.
I'd gone to the gym for the first time in the months over the w/e and felt pleasantly sore.
"Just an orange juice, mate...gonna get fit"
"' 'Eard that one before! It was a bacon roll the other day...you'll be back to the Dark-side..! Late again? Woz you doing pilates or somefing?"
"New routine, Geoff..."
I sat down, two men in grey suits either side of me...both checking their phones looking bored.
As we got into Pinner my heart gave a quick jump. The woman was in her usual spot.
She was wearing a red coat, light white pashmina scarf and grey dress, black shoes and sunglasses. So elegant, I thought.
She was chatting to a lady of similar age, maybe a shade younger. The lady was in blue jeans, black boots, grey jumper and a black gillet, sunglasses and a warm smile.
As the two sat down opposite me they both crossed their legs and continued chatting warmly.
"So I think her brother was at uni with Sarah's ex...rowing or rugby or something...they go way back. Anyway, she said there was a project in Leicester she was looking for advice on...advertising to chefs across the Midlands..."
The two continued chatting energetically for the half hour journey into Baker Street. I envied their warmth and life. In more than 20 years taking this journey I had never spoken to anyone except grab breakfast from Geoff.
The woman was full of zest, seemed clever with friends...she seemed totally out of my world, let alone my league. At times the conversation paused...the friend looked around and, I think, caught me lookung at them. I averted my gaze, looking up at an advert for Pet insurance.
The tube pulled into Baker st.
Anxious to maintain a thread of connection I stayed just a few steps behind them as we walked into the autumn sun.
As before the woman strode the taxi rank. Before jumping into the cab, she turned, smiled to her friend and hesitated.
I slowed down.
As I did so the friend put a hand on the woman's shoukder and leant forward.
They kissed.
Both had a hand on each others' waist and moved closer. Lips touched. I saw a flash of tongue briefly move into the friend's mouth. Gentle and sensual.
The two women laughed and tge woman jumped into the cab.
The friend composed herself and turned around, catching my eye.
I stood transfixed like a rabbit in headlights.
The woman let out a breath and walked past, her perfume lingering where she had stood.
I quickly joined the taxi rank (like that was why I'd been so close to them) and as the friend turned back to look at me I jumped into a cab
"57 Albury Rd"
"You kidding, mate?...that's a 30 second walk..!"
"Erm...yeah...gammy knee"
"Wha'ever...that's a fiver"
The next morning the woman was wearing a short, tight black business skirt, black tights, a tight white business shirt, black jumper , black heels and studded diamond earrings with a matching necklace and medium-length red coat.
The regular seats opposite me were occupied so the woman sat next to me, her legs crossed.
I sat motionless, aware of her closeness as she leaned on the armrest which divided us. The perfume smelled familiar – Calvin Klein? I wasn’t sure of the brand but it gently lay across us in the still air of the train carriage.
She took her phone out of her handbag and started flicking around….Facebook, the BBC News ap…generally grazing around her phone as pretty much everyone else was on the tube.
I stared into space, listening to the radio, watching the woman flicking around her phone out of the corner of my eye.
A whatsap notification flashed up on her screen….
The woman hesitated and then flicked the ap open.
A list of conversations appeared with a notification at the top : “Jean….Photo”
Without a second thought the woman opened-up the conversation….I glanced at her phone to see a photo of the woman she had kissed the previous morning standing in front of a mirror in grey running shorts…..and nothing else.
“Exercise finished! ??”
I tried to continue looking at her screen without being noticed. The woman texted Jean back:
“?????? I’ll give you a fitness test later! ??????”
A second photo came through….it was Jean wearing just a towel, her back and bum exposed….
“Jumping into a hot shower”
“lol – get your sweaty self washed! ????” the woman replied.
I shifted in my seat, re-crossing my legs, my cock hardening as the woman’s arms brushed mine.
The train suddenly lurched to a halt.
I fell against the woman inadvertedly causing her to drop her phone at my feet.
The lights flashed off then back on.
"This is a Drriver announcement:
Aaaaapologies for the sudden halting Of the train. This was due to a power-surge On the line. We are awaiting Cleearance from control to procede onwards"
I picked-up the woman's phone. It still had the whatsap conversation with Jean on screen, the last photo of her lover naked in a towel impossible to disregard.
I smiled as I returned the phone.
"Thanks" she blushed.
"Sorry for knocking into you"
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