Least Said (80 page)

As
one
gentleman
said,
‘It
could
be
worse
–
during
rush
hour
for
instance
there’s
often
not
a
seat
to
be
had.’

The
message
when
it
came
through
was
very
apologetic,
but
rather
vague.
‘
An incident on the line’
could
mean
anything
from
a
fallen
tree
or
branch,
to
an
animal
that
had
strayed
onto
the
line
or
a
vehicle
that
had
driven
through
a
crossing
barrier,
with
any
other
variation
in
between
and
some
that
really
didn’t
bear
thinking
about.

To
start
with
we
all
stayed
in
our
own
seats
but,
when
it
became
clear
that
we
might
be
stuck
where
we
were
for
quite
some
time,
we
went
from
calling
comments
across
the
carriage
to
one
another
to
moving
to
congregate
in
the
centre
seats
with
tables.

There
was
a
middle-aged
couple
travelling
home
to
Weymouth
after
spending
a
couple
of
days
with
their
daughter
and
her
family,
a
Bournemouth
University
student
returning
to
his
studies
after
half-term
with
what
was
probably
a
backpack
full
of
clean
washing
courtesy
of
his
Mum,
a
young
couple,
the
wife
obviously
pregnant,
taking
a
short
break
together
before
the
baby
was
born,
and
then
there
was
William
and
me.

We
were
as
diverse
as
we
could
be,
and
yet
once
we
started
talking
it
was
quite
amazing
how
many
similarities
we
had
between
us
and
Will
was
the
common
denominator.
He
reminded
the
middle-aged
couple
of
their
youngest
grandson,
reminded
the
student
of
himself
when
he
was
that
age,
and
the
young
couple,
who
were
expecting
a
boy,
were
hoping
he
would
be
as
bright
and
beautiful
as
my
son
was.

Paper
and
pencils
were
found
and
noughts
and
crosses
taught,
and
then
pictures
drawn
to
help
pass
the
time,
flasks,
sandwiches
and
snacks
were
produced
and
shared.
No
one
bothered
to
consult
their
watches
and
there
was
no
signal
for
the
use
of
mobile
phones
so
they
offered
no
distraction.

When
the
drawings
became
rather
technical,
courtesy
of
the
men,
I
found
myself
sitting
apart
with
the
two
wives
and
was
astonished
to
find
myself
confessing
that
Will’s
father
and
I
were
going
through
a
difficult
patch
and
that
I
didn’t
quite
know
what
to
do
about
it.
I
then
discovered
that
the
older
couple
had
been
on
the
verge
of
divorce
more
than
once
during
their
long
marriage,
and
that
the
young
couple
had
almost
never
married
at
all,
because
the
baby
they
now
wanted
so
much
had
been
a
mistake
that
shouldn’t
have
happened.

‘Often
things
happen
for
reasons
which
at
the
time
make
little
sense,
but
we
should
try
to
remember
that
we
have
made
a
commitment
to
one
another.
We’re
human,
we
make
mistakes
and
should
face
up
to
them
and
not
run
to
a
lawyer
at
the
first
sign
of
trouble,’
the
middle-aged
lady
said
wisely,
adding,
‘though
I’m
ashamed
to
say
that
I
did
just
that.
If
I
hadn’t
come
to
my
senses
we
wouldn’t
be
together
now
–
and
look
at
what
we
would
have
missed.

‘People
used
to
marry
for
life,
facing
up
to
difficulty
and
sometimes
real
hardship
by
pulling
together
.
Giving
up
isn’t
always
the
easy
option
it
might
appear
to
be.’
She
suddenly
looked
horrified
and
put
her
fingers
over
her
lips,
before
apologising.
‘I’m
so
sorry.
I’ll
get
off
my
soap-box
now.’

The
girl
and
I
laughed,
and
then
we
talked
about
other
things,
like
the
fact
the
new
baby
was
going
to
be
called
Harry
after
an
uncle,
and
the
middle-aged
lady
was
having
a
new
kitchen
fitted
before
Christmas
and
wasn’t
looking
forward
to
the
mess.
I
listened
and
even
joined
in,
but
my
mind
was
elsewhere.

The
middle-aged
lady
had
only
confirmed
what
I
knew
in
my
heart,
and
that
was
that
I
wasn’t
going
to
let
my
marriage
end
without
putting
up
the
fight
of
my
life
to
save
it.
I
somehow
had
to
convince
Jon
that
we
belonged
together
–
all
of
us
–
but
first
I
had
to
find
him.