One
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
Who were they ? They were official more than anything. They took the job seriously. They were formal if not sophisticated. They were neutral more than anything, the way I would have thought police ought to be rather than guilty 'till proven innocent. I tried to get through to them, to drop the officialdom mask, like trying to distract the tall chin-strapped, furry-capped Palace Guard. I made a number of gestural assaults, but couldn't get through. So you like them but can't torpedo in. They didn't know me. We weren't properly introduced. But mainly they were polite and so should you be. They were expected to act in a certain formal way and they did. And so were you.
I remember the London buses. This was a special privilege. Double decker with an open top and a pole next the rear stairs, like a fire station. Nowhere else had I seen these. Riding a bus was like riding in an Aquarium. Everyone could see you. I saw you sitting on a bus. If you care, you can't ride the bus, and if don't - you can. Must say this second-deck was flaunting it. You were right out there in the open like a commodore viewing the troops, out-in the Shangri-La theater. But mostly what I noticed was, that on the buses no one talked, like a mobile shoosh library. On a bus I asked a young woman once, who was seated directly in front of me: "Why in England does no-one talk to each other ?" She may have said, "because they have not been formerly introduced". Or not - but she said something - and tried to be helpful. On the other hand, I asked a shop girl if she wanted to ride with me to France and Germany.
(145 of 278)
Next Page
