Chance encounters

When you have to take a train to reach the place you're working, you're always in to something. A d.elay (happens most of the time, and then the NMBS doesn't consider 5 or  6 minutes as a delay), a cancelled train (nice, very nice!), a suicide which detains your train for hours at an end, a bridge that doesn't open, ... The list is long and tedious.

But also nice things can happen. Like meeting someone you don't know, but feel completely at ease with. Last week, a girl sat next to me and we started talking. We soon found out we had more or less the same taste and even shared the same job. She was a trainee teacher, I've been teaching since 1978. She was grateful for the tips I could give her, and I like to know how young people think.

Today, a young guy sat next to me, and he was constantly looking over my shoulder to read along on my Kindle. After some time, he dared to ask me what I was reading. I'm well into 'Tell No One' by Harlan Coben, and he told me he wanted to buy the book as well. 'From what I've seen, it's a very thrilling story," he said. Well, good for Coben, right?

Once I could interest a fellow passenger into reading (and buying) my own books. That woman was very much interested in the genre I write.

So, what will happen tomorrow???