Observations on a train

Yesterday, I was sitting on a DART on my way out to Sutton. Several rows behind me, someone was playing a videogame.

Beep, beep, beep, dingalingaling. Buh-beep.

Beep, beep, beep, BEEP, dingalingaling. Buh-beep.

All the way to Sutton.

Beep, beep, beep, dingalingaling. Buh-beep.

I noticed this happens in three ways, and generally all the passengers on the DART went through the same three stages.

• First, you become vaguely aware of something, but remain ensconsed in your paper/ book/ phone
• Then you get distracted by the irritation continuing. You look up, try to locate the sound, frown, attempt to return to your laptop/ girlie magazine/ nail filing
• Eventually, you get furious. You glare at the offender (shut up!), rustle your paper loudly (look how annoying it is when someone makes unnecessary noise!), hunch down in your seat and grit your teeth (I will ignore this, watch me!)

So at some point well into stage three, I realised I was giving myself a headache with the whole frowning and teeth-gritting thing. I started wondering who this person could be that he seemed completely unware of the effect he was having on other people. That started me thinking about Irish people, and how we react in public to a situation we disapprove of. We always repeat the glare/cough/grit cycle. No-one ever says a word.

Ever.

Somewhere in the course of this thinking, I realised that I didn't have to be annoyed by this stranger. I really didn't. I went back to my book, and left the rest of the train to their own devices.

Sorry, little man. I'm free.