Sarah
I met Sarah as I was standing at a bus stop in my hometown of Ayr. I've recorded the conversation as best I can remember. She noticed the conspicuous pair of Grados I was wearing around my neck, and said
"What are you... music? These plugs, are they for your music box?"
"That's right," I replied, "music."
"They look expensive!"
"They're not too bad..."
"Oh, music's good. What do you like to listen to?"
I took them off my neck and offered them to her: Daft Punk's soundtrack to Tron Legacy was playing. "Oh, that's interesting." At this point she exchanged some words with some people who were passing, and when she came back to stand next to me she asked me which bus I was waiting for.
"And where are you off to? Are you from Ayr?"
"Well, I live in Glasgow, and-"
"Ohh! I thought that. I thought you looked like a city slick, you've got the gear!"
"I'm visiting my parents."
"That's nice. Parents are precious, you know? I was listening on the radio and some people don't even know their parents' favourite meal or... they don't know much about them. And your parents know more than you think because they've been in some situations that maybe you haven't been in yet. Parents make decisions and sometimes you're glad of them, because... I'm thinking of my parents, that's what I'm thinking of. What do you do in Glasgow, are you student at the university?"
"I was, but I graduated years ago. I'm a photographer now."
"Oh, I like pictures. I like faces, you know? Sometimes you can see so much in them, like how did a face get to be like that? There's a man I always see, drives a van, and he has such an interesting face. What do you take pictures of, is it everything, or...?"
"Anything that interests me, I suppose, but mostly people. I like faces too."
"That's right, faces can tell a story. You've got a lovely face, very open. I've got high cheekbones. When you're at school they'll always pick on you for something, and me it was my cheekbones. But some people tell me I have lovely cheekbones, and I agree with them!" She laughed, and then there was a pause. "What's your name?"
"I'm Tommy, and you?"
"Sarah."
"Nice to meet you, Sarah."
"Names, that's another thing. I met a Frank recently, same as Frank Sinatra. But I said 'I haven't met a Frank for a long, long time.' Tommy's another one. I mean, you get a lot of Thomas, but Tommy... it's a nice name, a friendly name. Well, you're talking to a princess here, that's what Sarah means in Hebrew."
"Oh really? Lovely."
"There's more to you than that, I see. You're interesting. You change things, and you put things out there that other people don't see."
"I hope so..."
"Oh yes, I see you were a very bright child, and you're good at everything you put yourself to. You'll prosper this year! You'll be in the right place at the right time, with the right people." By this point I was laughing. "Just you wait and see! I'm prophesying good things over you, calling forth your destiny. Do you have a wife?"
"I don't."
"Well I call forth your other rib, and you'll find her this year, because it's not good for a man to be alone. It'll be expensive, the wedding, but it's worth it! And you'll have to take the day off and let somebody else take your pictures. It'll be a good year for you."
"Well, I really hope so."
"Yes, because we're here for more, you know? God is good."
At this point my bus came. I took her photograph, bid her goodbye and jumped on the bus. While I may not believe, like Sarah, in a greater meaning to our lives like God, I believe we make our own meaning in life and, in mine, it's beautiful little moments like a conversation with a stranger at a bus stop that I live for..
Ayr, 2011.
Sarah
I met Sarah as I was standing at a bus stop in my hometown of Ayr. I've recorded the conversation as best I can remember. She noticed the conspicuous pair of Grados I was wearing around my neck, and said
"What are you... music? These plugs, are they for your music box?"
"That's right," I replied, "music."
"They look expensive!"
"They're not too bad..."
"Oh, music's good. What do you like to listen to?"
I took them off my neck and offered them to her: Daft Punk's soundtrack to Tron Legacy was playing. "Oh, that's interesting." At this point she exchanged some words with some people who were passing, and when she came back to stand next to me she asked me which bus I was waiting for.
"And where are you off to? Are you from Ayr?"
"Well, I live in Glasgow, and-"
"Ohh! I thought that. I thought you looked like a city slick, you've got the gear!"
"I'm visiting my parents."
"That's nice. Parents are precious, you know? I was listening on the radio and some people don't even know their parents' favourite meal or... they don't know much about them. And your parents know more than you think because they've been in some situations that maybe you haven't been in yet. Parents make decisions and sometimes you're glad of them, because... I'm thinking of my parents, that's what I'm thinking of. What do you do in Glasgow, are you student at the university?"
"I was, but I graduated years ago. I'm a photographer now."
"Oh, I like pictures. I like faces, you know? Sometimes you can see so much in them, like how did a face get to be like that? There's a man I always see, drives a van, and he has such an interesting face. What do you take pictures of, is it everything, or...?"
"Anything that interests me, I suppose, but mostly people. I like faces too."
"That's right, faces can tell a story. You've got a lovely face, very open. I've got high cheekbones. When you're at school they'll always pick on you for something, and me it was my cheekbones. But some people tell me I have lovely cheekbones, and I agree with them!" She laughed, and then there was a pause. "What's your name?"
"I'm Tommy, and you?"
"Sarah."
"Nice to meet you, Sarah."
"Names, that's another thing. I met a Frank recently, same as Frank Sinatra. But I said 'I haven't met a Frank for a long, long time.' Tommy's another one. I mean, you get a lot of Thomas, but Tommy... it's a nice name, a friendly name. Well, you're talking to a princess here, that's what Sarah means in Hebrew."
"Oh really? Lovely."
"There's more to you than that, I see. You're interesting. You change things, and you put things out there that other people don't see."
"I hope so..."
"Oh yes, I see you were a very bright child, and you're good at everything you put yourself to. You'll prosper this year! You'll be in the right place at the right time, with the right people." By this point I was laughing. "Just you wait and see! I'm prophesying good things over you, calling forth your destiny. Do you have a wife?"
"I don't."
"Well I call forth your other rib, and you'll find her this year, because it's not good for a man to be alone. It'll be expensive, the wedding, but it's worth it! And you'll have to take the day off and let somebody else take your pictures. It'll be a good year for you."
"Well, I really hope so."
"Yes, because we're here for more, you know? God is good."
At this point my bus came. I took her photograph, bid her goodbye and jumped on the bus. While I may not believe, like Sarah, in a greater meaning to our lives like God, I believe we make our own meaning in life and, in mine, it's beautiful little moments like a conversation with a stranger at a bus stop that I live for..
Ayr, 2011.