Grey

Grey
Prompt 30/9/2003



I know it is going to be one of those days. I open my closet, and
realise that every outfit I own is grey. What to choose? Since it is
not much of a choice, I pick the nearest suit. Who cares
anyway.


The train is late again, and by the time it gets to my
station it is packed. For a moment I consider not bothering to squeeze
myself into it, just turn around, go home, go to bed and pull the
blanket over my head. Then I squeeze myself into the train. The armpit
of the guy next to me emits foul odours, and I wonder if he has ever
heard of deodorant. Eventually I manage to turn around a little and
give my nose some relief. Then the great push as everyone tries to get
off the train at once. Why? We all meet up again at the ticket barrier
anyway. It always amuses me that those people who are off the train
first then hold up the queue looking for their tickets. Ah well.
Whatever.


I look at a billboard as I walk toward it, without really
seeing it. "Go orgasmic", it reads. The words make little sense, and
slowly spin in my head while I am preoccupied dodging fellow
pedestrians. Then I understand what I just read. Surely not! Am I so
sex starved that I am making up these things now? What next, will I see
naked men on billboards? "Organic," it must have said organic. What was
the advert for, fruit of some description? I am annoyed with myself for
being so stupid, but I cannot stop myself from turning around to take
another look. No, I was right the first time. What a strange advert! I
turn back to see where I am going and realise that I still don't know
what the provocative slogan was advertising. Not a very good advert,
apparently.


The wind is blowing and messing up my hair, which is still
wet. I walk faster, as if I could outrun the wind. Passing a grocery
store, I glance at the window to see how I look. I don't normally do
that, honestly, just my hair feels in a total frizzle and if it is, I
ought to sort it out because I hate it when people give me strange
looks. I see a guy at the till in the store. For a moment it looks like
he is aiming a gun at the shop assistant, which is stupid, of course. I
look away, but my heart beats faster. What if that really was a
robbery? Yeah, right. At 8:30 a.m. on a busy high street, some guy is
robbing the grocery store. I look again, but a shelf is in my way now.
Without going back, I won't be able to tell. What if it is? Well, what
if it is not? Go back and look, and make a fool of yourself, go on, I
dare you! I keep on walking, but the incident plays on my mind. A siren
of a passing vehicle makes me jump out of my skin - the police, it was
a robbery! - but it is only an ambulance.


I pass an electronics store with an oversized television in
the window. For weeks it has been showing the same movie - "Monsters
Inc" - and every time I pass, it is showing the same scene. Does that
mean that I pass the same place at the same time every day? Is the
movie on some kind of remote control, does it see me coming? Or is it
sheer coincidence, like the lottery numbers on Saturday, like the
chance to go bald at an early age, like all that other meaningless
stuff that happens at random? Who knows?


The guy in front of me spits on the ground. "Nice," I
mumble.


He stops and turns around. "Do you have a problem?" he asks.
I shake my head and wish that I had stayed grey and anonymous. He takes
a step toward me and I take two hurried steps back. He grins, then
turns around, spitting. This time I keep my mouth shut. I slink back
into my grey suit and continue my walk. Who cares anyway.