Bus Ride

Pregnant woman at the bus stop smokes a cigarette and drinks a red bull.

Bus arrives. Packed.

Young woman in a turquoise high necked sleeveless shirt does her make-up when the bus stops. White eyeshadow. Brown eyeshadow. Brown eyeliner. Mascara. Takes from Green Lanes to Brecknock Road.

Girl with a teeshirt knotted at the back reveals a tanned and toned midriff. She's wearing grey skinny jeans, a smidgeon of white pants with grey elastic shows at the top. Obviously not a best-knickers day.

Youth in an avirex teeshirt helps a granny off the bus with her trolley, then makes faces at one of the children in the double buggy.

Double buggy parents talk about the fact that the double buggy doesn't fit in the buggy space. Instead they stand in the middle blocking the doors. Middle-class bickering tones.

The girl in the turquoise moves onto cleaning her nails with the blade of an open pair of nail scissors.

Double buggy mum smiles at me because I am writing in my notebook. For a second I wonder if she has x-ray vision.

A boy jumps on the bus just as the doors are closing, carefully holding his takeaway so it doesn't spill. The polystyrene tray doesn't quite make it on - a corner gets trapped between the doors. It isn't thick enough to cause the doors to open back up. He struggles to get it out. It makes that squeaking noise. I laugh. He laughs.

We all get off at Camden.