Do you ever think about people who you met briefly on train journeys (or other ways)?

[Specialneedsnightmare]

Occasionally I still think about people who I sat near to on a busy train journey and wonder how things turned out for them. Not necessarily significant things either. Years ago I was on a train to Guildford and sat at a table with a mother and two adult daughters who were going to a restaurant followed by a party. They were debating what to eat and whether some person they knew would be there and what he might say. They were worried he might cause trouble. They wanted to leave early from the party. I wonder if they went and if the guy was there and what happened. Odd I know..

Another time I was on a train on the south coast and a group of college students got on. I was at a table with two girls who were discussing their upcoming exams. One girl was clearly intelligent and driven and waa trying to encourage her friend who was struggling with a lack of confidence. She told her she could do anything she set her mind to, but not to "be lazy" and to work hard for it. Clearly had excellent parents! Like with the women, sometimes my thoughts go back to the girls and I wonder how they got on.

Does anyone else ever wonder about people who they shared a brief journey with?

Oh no! I listened to it years ago and this thread made me want to listen again tomorrow while i work. That's bloody annoying.😆

If I can find it elsewhere, I will let you know. It sounds really good.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Where-This-Service-Will-Terminate/dp/B083STDY9D

Yes I often think about people like that.

Years ago well before I had children I was on a train with a mum and her kid and the child entertained himself by reading a book the mum had made about him - photos and stories about family and what they liked to do etc. I thought it was brilliant and when I eventually had my own children I did one for each of them when they were little.

I do. Approximately 1991 I ran away from a job and got on a train. Lady gave me £8 to get a ticket. Wouldn't give me her name and address to pay her back. Wish I could thank her.

Two stick in my mind.
Train from London to Liverpool sat on a four with three young women and the magnificent Margi Clarke! We all chatted for the whole time and she shared her wine with us. She was amazing and told us lots of stories - and all about which soap stars were druids.

The second was again a table of four and we sat with a lovely old man who had been a jazz musician and travelled the world. He must have been in his 80s but just loves having people to talk to. He could have written a book!

Invested that this might be someone you know!

Just after Covid I met a lovely lady on a flight and we shared our lockdown stories. I had had health trouble and shared that, she told me that her husband had told her he was gay just as they were on the brink of retirement, he’d left the house and insisted it was sold. Overnight to her he became cold and distant. He moved in with a boyfriend right away. Her children thought him so brave to have come out and were developing a relationship with his new partner. We speculated that if he’d run off with another woman the kids would have viewed it as the betrayal it was - she felt a little forgotten in it all. She packed up a family home alone during lockdown, three decades of memories. Did all the life admin to get it sold, he left her to it and she felt so isolated. And the happy retirement she had been looking forward to was gone. I felt so sorry for her, I often wonder how she is. I hope she is thriving.

About 13 years ago in my mid 20s, my boyfriend dumped me and I was distraught. I went to stay with my friend in bath and had a lovely weekend. The train back was cancelled so they put on a replacement taxi for us and I shared one with two other guys (they didn’t know one another).
we arrived at Bristol station and me and one of the lads carried on chatting and we had loads in common. He really brightened up my weekend and made me realise there were plenty more men out there! Sadly he had a girlfriend but we did become Facebook friends. He disabled his account some years ago but I’d love to see what he’s up to now. I think he became a doctor. I’d love to thank him for helping me get over my ex as that summer I had my ‘summer of love’ and had my confidence boosted by many young men let’s say 😂

not train, but some from uni, and used linkedin

Oh thank you. I am tempted to buy it as it's something I could listen to several times.🙂

I am a wheelchair user so often end up chatting to other wheelchair users /people using special assistance at the airport. So many different moving stories and so many amazing, funny,.and interesting people.

One lady in particular will stick with me forever as she had a degenerative condition and she knew she was going on what was probably her last holiday abroad but she was still so full of joy and kindness and interest in others.

This has reminded me of a young man who came and sat next to me on the tube, years ago. Very skinny, very blonde and pale skinned, in a cheap suit and carrying a black attache case that absolutely reeked - worse than shit. It smelled like it had something dead inside it. He looked incredibly nervous, frightened and sad. I wondered what was inside and what was going on.

I remember many years ago getting on a morning train where a mum and her son (probably aged about 9 or 10) were doing his homework. It was maths and he was finding it hard. She was vile to him. Everyone around then was aware of it. He got closer and closer to tears, as she called him stupid and hopeless. They got off before I did. The rest of us just looked at each other in disbelief. It was awful. I still wonder what would have happened if anyone had intervened.

Thinking about the last time I was in Damascus (2010) I got chatting to a man who owned a furniture shop. I told him I was interested in Islamic art and architecture. He told me he lived in an Arabic house and invited me to see the house and have dinner. Most people would think I was taking a chance to go walking off with a complete stranger in this way but I had no qualms. We walked about 10 minutes and arrived at his house where his family lived. They showed me round and then we had supper on the terrace. He had relatives visiting from Lebanon and we spent a very pleasant evening. Later one of his sons showed me to the taxi rank for the journey back to my hotel. I made many passing acquaintances of this kind in countries like Syria and Iran. I still wonder what happened to them after all the wars and conflicts in those countries.

I was waiting on the platform one evening and this really pissed guy staggered along.

We were going the same way so I helped him got on the train and made sure he got off safely at his stop.

We have been married for 29 years.
😊

O WOW when Irish eyes are smiling! Not quite on par but on my first overseas girls holiday, myself and a friend in Gran Canary’s circa 95/96. Anyway friend was very much her way or no way, I was sick of her one night and refused to do what she wanted so she stormed off. I went back into our last bar, mainly a mix of locals and I think danish. The staff and locals invited me to a club, once there I locked eyes on the most gorgeous pair of eyes ever. For about another hour we stared before gesturing to go outside. I remember his beautiful Irish accent asking me my name, no fucking idea what his was I didn’t care. I had the best random one night stand of my life, I will never forget those eyes 😬🥰

Another one I always remember is working in north London, admin work in a small business that had a shop front. My manager was very very racist, I never actually realised at the time as it was a very different racism to where I grew up. Anyway this elderly gentleman walks in, my manager storms off “ I ain’t facking dealin wid this shit” ( that’s my attempt at London speak) The man was I used to think Buddhist but he had some kind of turban on, I was being polite, thanks but no thanks, he started to turn away then turned back and said to me “he’s not worth it” “ you will wait a very very long time and travel far far away but you will find the perfect man for you” .

At the time I was in a very volatile abusive relationship with someone from my home town and was looking at moving back there with him. I would have been 21/22 at the time. I broke it off and went through many years of shit toxic relationships before I met DH, even then it took over 6 years and reaching 35 before we got together at the other side of the world (Australia). But that man was wright all those many many years ago.

@Friendlygingercatyou need to go even further south! My son lives in the IOW and I swear he can’t leave his house without making a friend! He often tells me ‘was having a nice talk with an old boy on the bus…’ ‘stopped to chat to the woman picking up litter in the street and she says it was nice that someone young spent the time’… he even got a job offer from the manager of Curry’s when we went to buy an air fryer! Chat chat chat.

Yes. 17th October 2021, travelling from Portsmouth to London, evening. Sat opposite a lady and got chatting. In the aisle seats were a scraggy blonde haired lady in her 50s/60s accompanied by a 7/8 year old possibly Romani, or mixed/Asian girl in tatty pjs, carrying a rucksack.

From the things she said to this child, it soon became apparent that they didn’t actually know each other. At all. Woman was saying that when they get to London, she will call her father. Then they will go to the BBC, and going through the steps of the journey. It was most odd. She kept going on about “when we get to the BBC…”

I’d initially thought it was grandmother/grandchild, then perhaps an emergency social services removal, but the woman looked like a 40 a day smoker / alcoholic, she’d got up to use the loo and left the child for a good 10 minutes and there was something decidedly ‘off’ about the situation. No warmth, kindness or familiarity and the child was not at all talkative.

I wrote a note to the woman opposite and we silently shared our dawning realisation/concerns (on pretence of exchanging numbers) and texted BTP, but no-one met us at the station. We followed them as far as the underground and alerted the staff and they legged it after them, but they never did catch up with them, according to the message I eventually got from BTP, which just contained a haunting cctv image of the woman and child walking past the taxi rank.

I will always wonder what was happening there and pray it was entirely innocent.

I always remember being on a train that had set off from Blackpool. I got on at Preston. There were a family on there in Kiss me quick hats, bright red faces, seemed to have won ginormous stuffed toys, bags full of stuff, etc.

At one point the dad turned around and said 'I'm never going to a bloody wedding again!'

😆

It just didn't fit with how they looked

I do! I’m so glad to find that other people also do this. It’s a bit like watching a play and missing the last act,