Yesterday when journeying to some casual work, I was waiting for a bus at the Richmond Bus stop, I’d just come out of the station and stood next to the pole perusing the route and timetable and glancing the street for the bus, to which, when it shortly arrived, I signalled to stop (unneccessarily no doubt, but habit non the less). As the Bus pulled up a little retinue of three old people (a couple and a lady) sidled past me to get on the bus first, and made some comment about me “being rude and not having qeue’d, and that they had seen me come from the station, after they had arrived at the bus stop”, this was all said in a rather spitefull and accusative manner.

I of course let them go first, they were in such a state of surpressed rage and their wet glassy eyes had a sense of wounded yet steeled anger with a hint of fear underlying at possible youthful reprisal ? I certainly wouldn’t of wished to have put them in a greater state, than they appeared to have enduced upon themselves. As I entered the bus behind them I made note to them, that the bus was in fact “completely empty” so their remonstrations seemed a little unwarranted, and that “we would all make it on” ,theyre were only six of us getting on. The thing that is truly strange, is I do not even remember seeing these people at the bus stop, As I approached it ?

This may well somehow be related to that unwritten concept, that people below a certain age are somehow subconsciously trained by a mainly youth lauding society, to render those beyond a certain age range in relation to our own invisible ? Or is it more that genes only allow us to truly be cogniscent of those that have the chance to enhance our possibility of reproduction, and that oap’s are those that have fallen out of use, by the genes control, except in a subsidiary supportive familial manner and as such they become less visible. whichever way the concept of a queue at this stop seemed a little strange considering 4 or 5 different buses appeared to stop at this rather spatially cramped stop, and any seated figures under its roof, in which location I could not fit, I presumed to be sheltering from the cold weather, and im certain they had no premonition as to which bus I was catching. Whichever way their follow up comment after I had informed them the bus was in fact “completely empty” and that their remonstrations seemed a little unjust, they stated “it was the principle of the matter”, which I then to allow their aged hearts some rest, chimed “yes principles are important”, not bothering to add that extra note, that being unnecessarily aggressive was also something to be avoided.

This incident highlighted to me if any were needed that age doesn’t necessarily soften the personality or sweeten ones social interactions, and that all people, including ‘old people’, have the full on potential, of being highly unpleasant in demeanour. Oh well they were stressed, for some reason, my standing next to the pole was obviously the straw on the camels back, of that particular day for them, or maybe they had many more things that irritated them later that day ? maybe theyre would be more riling incidents to befall them, due to the unconcious projection of their heated attitude, who knows ? I doubt their feeling of indignation at my behaviour, rolled away in any less than the remaining hours of the day in which they were conscious. And probably a week later over tea, I shall probably still be the subject of a worthy tirade, about the youth today to a fellow pensioner. The sad thing is that these really rather lucky Richmond OAP’s obviously had very little comprehension, as to how terrible youth can really be in other parts of London, and that someone accidentally being at the head of an unperceived queue is in fact a minor slight in ones day, or how in fact living as pensioners in Richmond (apart from the expense of it perhaps), that they are much better of than many more, less fortunate pensioners who live in the more dangerous boroughs of london.

I should imagine at their age, if I even make it to their age, though an under-attended, civic incineration will probably find me first. I think perhaps that even more so than them, I shall probably find culture the people and almost everything in it … irritating… including the ‘old people’, whose ranks I will then be forced to curmudgeonly identify with.