Author Information
Train Travel
At 6'3" and 118kg, I have never exactly been described as petite and add to that being a Lara commuter, a combination that is not always a good mix.
Each morning us Lara folk struggle to find a free space on the train and squish in where we can fit as all the "good seats" have been taken.
This morning must have been the worst???
With only 6 seats left in the carriage and me being 4th on, the selection was limited. I walked passed the one filled with student books and the second where the sideways sitting lady was using the spare seat as her "Advertiser Rest" and settled on the one that would make me the ugly conjoined triplet for the next 45 mins.
As I nestled my rear into the V/Line cloth I heard the stereo guttural groan of my fellow travelers. There we were, joined at the hips and loving it! I slid my head back into the cushion behind me and closed my eyes, knowing that that my sister on my right was staring daggers at me and my
sister on my left was making a superb performance of dragging her woolly cardie away from my boy germs.
I sat stiff as a board for the trip with my knees pressed together for fear that I might bump my already agitated sisters and as I crossed my arms over my chest and shoulders in the deceased position, I wondered to myself if
this might as well be a great opportunity for the Kings or the Tuckers to come and take my measurements. I sure as hell felt like dying by this stage.
So there we were, to my right, the beautiful creature, probably named Gale, who huffed in a loud exhale at every third breath with a force that would blow the candles off most Grandma's birthday cake and to my left, the narky knitter who swung her needles in a way that would create two more cardies in a single Geelong rail journey. Thankfully you can't knit with carving knives.
Then there was me, couldn't knit as I couldn't even swing or feel my arms, let alone having any lung space to breathe.
With all these experiences aside, I don't blame the girls. There is nothing quite like 2 seats to swing your knees and stretch out into and if there is anything that I have learnt through this experience it is not to sit next to people who are just as fond of chocolate cake as I am.
As I arrived in Melbourne I felt myself look two seats back to the crease free fully refreshed copy of the Geelong Advertiser who I am sure had a far more comfortable journey than I
