She said I was invalid
9:00am is officially off-peak times in train lingo.
But the last train, the peak-time train, the 8:58 was running late. And by the time I had bought my ticket (at 9:02am) the only option available was the OP.
“Shit!”
I’m going to have to ask, rather quickly, whether I can get on this train with my technically invalid fare.
The conductor, a woman in her mid to late 30’s, dark hair and glasses, no higher than a bar stool, quite brumptly informed that by the time we got into the city nobody should question it.
She wasn’t viscious about it, but she wasn’t understanding either. I didn’t think much of it. I smiled, thanked her and swung my rucksack on to the nearest seat to sit down.
It took less than 30 seconds for her to shut the doors, start the train running and then demand to know more about why my ticket was not the ticket she was expecting.
I thought about bringing my hood up over my head and replying with
‘these aren’t the tickets you’re looking for’
and
‘You can go about your business’
But before I could change course I was explaining the full story. About how I had planned to get the later train any by the time I had played with the ticket machine the only option available was off-peak.
‘Perhaps’, I started ‘the ticket machine runs off of the default times for each train arriving into the station. And when I bought my tickets, this train had already, in the eyes of the machine been and gone’.
I made our back and forth as lighthearted as possible, making it seem rather quite silly. How on earth a machine owned by a large for profit institution was willing to give me a concession, almost as an apology for a late arrival. How considerate this machine is to repent for the sins of its organisation.
I thought it was just good business practice. Give a customer more than he’s expecting and you’ve just proved your loyalty. I was thinking this machine is smarter than it first seemed.
The other reason was perhaps more pragmatic. Train conductors are conditioned to be uber skeptical. Can you imagine doing the ticket round and at least 4050 times a day hearing
‘it’s gotta be here somewhere.. I must have lost it’
So I understood.
Before long we agreed it was silly and the best course of action was for her to email the department in charge of automations.
All she wanted to do was her job correctly.
I continued. The weather’s much nicer today isn’t it? as topically on fleek as any other englishman.
She agreed that it was. And admitted that she was off work this weekend but the weather was meant to take a colder turn.
So I made a frowny face, not what you want on your days off really. Trying to push the conversation on I googled ‘weather’ and (not so) surprisingly the forecast had changed.
I turned my frown upside down and continued, ‘aah actually, the weather looks promising, mostly sunny with a few patches of cloud. No chance of rain in sight!’.
She smiled, but by this point needed to check the tickets of the new passagenger that boarded at the last stop.
I thought nothing of it. The train was only one more stop from Manchester. I made sure I had all my belongings with me, which amounted a rucksack akin to that of a digital nomad, and my camera.
I walked towards the doors where I’d wait until the train stationed. And as she passed me for what was the last time, she reminded me of an important truth.
‘You know, you’ve really turned my morning around. I did the earlier trip from Manchester to Marple and a customer got quite physical. Very agressive actually and put his hands on me’.
It turns out that this passenger had tried to board the train with an invalid card and when she explained that his e-card wouldn’t do, and that he needed another ticket, he simply flipped.
I did nothing special on that journey other than to be considerate and open.
Other than her passive demeanour, she didn’t wear any revealing emotions about what had happened earlier with that passenger.
And oftentimes, you and I have no idea what other people are dealing with.
This morning reminded me that you can affect the world with your whole self.
Don’t shy away and be yourself.
And it’s always worth waiting until 9:01 to buy your train tickets.
