Sitting on the bus after a long day. Reading Murakami, minding my own business, as usual (TM Lindy). It's a Limited bus but not crowded so i have no seatmate and no one is speaking which is perfect for my frayed nerves.

A man got on the bus after me and I could tell he was one of those people who just has to be talking all the time, about anything. Most people say "Hi" or "Hello" to the bus driver. This dude says "Good afternoon! How are you this fine day?" The bus driver grunts something in response that sounds like "I'm doing just fine, I'm feeling good". The man sits diagonally across from me and since there are other people near us I'm assured I will not be spoken to nor addressed in any manner. I'm so tired from work that I'm struggling through one of those scenes where Murakami just kind of goes off the rails about the Sheep Man being from another dimension and this dimension at the same time and then it gets cold and all the lights go out and so on.

I should've known what would happen next because what else do people who can't keep their mouth shut do when there's no one around them to talk to? They pull out their trusty phone and call somebody. Anybody. And they talk loudly.

"Hey John it's Mr. so-and-so how you doing I'm good look I just came from the parole office can you hear me? I said I just came from the parole office and I got the fax number for you yes the fax number it's 718 blah blah blah blah blah blah blah I said blah blah blah blah no blah blah blah blah 718 area code blah blah blah blah blah blah blah..." 

I turn up the volume on my phone all the way up but still "no it's blah blah blah blah 718." I dog ear the page and close my book, place it into my bag and turn the volume all the way up. Blah blah blah blah blah, muted but still there.