Excuse Me

Early 30's white male. He's wearing a white ball cap, glasses, a grey jacket and grey pants. He either neglected to shave or is one of those guys who gets a legitimate 5:00 shadow. But he exudes a general lack of self-confidence. His slightly slumped posture, the shifty way he looks at the people around him... and something is obviously gnawing at him.

He's holding a pamphlet, which he has folded vertically and unfolded so many times that it now has a natural bend to it which prevents me from seeing the whole title. The two words I can make out are "Tips" and "Guard". Martial arts, or a military recruitment pamphlet perhaps?

His cell phone rings and he fishes it out of his pocket. I can't make out much of what he's saying over the roar of the bus engine, but the conversation gradually increases in pitch and tone. I can hear him say, quite often, "Excuse me," as the other party continues to interrupt him. "OK, wait, excuse me, I'm talking..." "Excuse me, no, that's not the way it is." He also keeps referring to "she."

"Excuse me, no, no, she is completely misleading you. You have to tell her..."

His free hand starts to pick up on his emotion and he uses it to gesture, which allows me to read the whole title on the pamphlet: "Tips for parents and guardians." There is more, but it's too fine of a print for me to make out from where I'm seated. Custody battle, perhaps?

His seat, up until now, has been his alone, but as the bus fills a dishevelled mid 50's man, with long, greying but still blonde hair, a moustache, dark glasses, leather jacket, and a leather biker's cap sits beside him. The younger man stops talking with his hand, but the "Excuse me" interjections still sputter forth. If he has confidence issues, he is obviously taking some assertiveness lessons. Eventually the conversation tones down and he ends the call, glancing nervously at the biker-type once the phone is back in his pocket.

There's my stop.

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