Tuesday, 5 July 2011

Metro Rides, Armpit Sweat And Gypsy Accordions

Normally a ride on the metro equals with awfully strong arm pit sweat odor, tired/anxious faces and 15 year old kids who play music on their phone or smile for absolute no reason. But during my last ride there was another thing added.

I was sitting waiting for my metro to arrive, reading a pizza menu contemplating if the prices were right and how badly I'd like to have one of those pizzas right then as it was 15:54 and I had nothing to eat all day when a group of what I think they were Romanian Gypsies came and sat on the seats next to me. There were 3 guys with accordions and 2 women with one of them pushing a baby trolley.

I lift my head looking at those guys and the woman, trying to see the baby in the trolley but the trolley was covered with a blanket and if there was a living soul in there I have absolutely no idea how it was still breathing. Anyway, the train arrives and we all walk in. I take a seat and I'm ready to fall asleep when I hear an accordion playing.

I turn around looking at the guys that walked in the same car with me and it wasn't them. They were talking. The noise was coming from the other car and was approaching our car. Now in Athens it's a usual thing having hobos, drunks or junkies begging for money in metro rides, telling everyone their problem real loud and then going to each one of the passengers separately asking to spare some change. But I never heard some one playing the accordion and begging for money in the metro.

Anyway, I think it'll probably be one of the Gypsies' friends that got in in another car and started playing asking the passengers to spare some change and I wasn't far out. I lean forward to check and I see this gypsy girl that couldn't be over than 18 years old walking towards my car playing the accordion. She walks over and stands above the person who was sitting right opposite me. I could only see her back and listen to her music.

She turns around, still playing and smiles at me. She had the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen, the most perfectly structured face that others pay lots of money to have and a body that again a model would kill to have (and I'm not saying that in the “my hand's down my pants ready to jack off” kind of way) It's the first time I look up at a beggar and then straight down again feeling lost for words and searching frantically for change in my pocket.

I still remember her face and I can say with the greatest of certainties, it's prettier than your girlfriend's. Not in the “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” kind of way. You'd admit it yourself if you were there too. And if you're a girl you'd either cringe of jealousy or you'd question your sexuality for a couple of minutes.

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