Journey to work

Conversation on a bus - Tuesday 18th September 2001

I'm sitting on the bus and I'm eavesdropping as it eases my passage
into work. There's two little girls behind me - about eight years old
apiece - I know because I've looked.

'I'm going to New Zealand' one says.
'When?' says the other.
'Well I don't know when I'm going but I know I'm there for
Christmas&;#8230;.you may not see again.'
'Why?'
'Well my plane may be hijacked.'
Pause
'But that only happens when you go to America.'
'Yes but I'm stopping off there on the way. If the plane stops I'll get
off and leave some flowers.'
'I'm never ever going to America. Never.'
'No because if you do you'll die.'
'Yes.'
They both make sounds of agreement.
'I heard that they found the people who did it and they live in a place
that begins with 'a' but I can't pronounce it and they said that if
anyone helps America they'll attack them and we're helping.'
Pause.
They then begin to talk about tall buildings.
'They'll never bomb the Eiffel tower.'
'Div, that's in Paris.'
'I saw a building once outside a tube station that was really
tall.'
'How tall?'
'Taller than that tree?'
'Yup.'
'As tall as Big Ben?'
'No.'
'Well they'll bomb Big Ben and then it'll be the end of the
world.'
'Do you think they don't care if they get killed?'
'Maybe they put the bomb and then run for their lives.'
They both agree.
'I had a dream the other day that England was being bombed.'
Pause.
'I never thought I'd talk about things like this.'
'Things like what?'
'News stuff. I never thought I was a news person.'

I stand up and walk down the stairs to make my way to work.