I turned off my iPod as we approached the Parkchester station, wanting to make sure that I heard the PA system, just in case the train on the opposite side of the platform would be leaving first. Apparently, these two people had struck up a conversation a few minutes beforehand, and I was lucky(?) enough to hear the tail end of it. This was a latina woman with gorgeous dark brown hair done up, dressed for the office, and then a taller, white-ish, tattooed, dirty (there was actually dirt ON HIS SKIN), clean clothes and backpack though, and dirty greasy hair).
Man: So what did you do during the summer?
Woman: Well, I didn't want to really stop teaching, so I worked with this program that kind of assists young people who don't have a lot of opportunities, takes them to museums and things like that.
M: Oh, cool. That's awesome!
W: Yeah, we--you know the Shakespeare in the Park?
M: Oh yeah yeah yeah I've been there. I used to sell tickets for them.
W: Oh neat! Yeah, we took them to there, which was really cool, because the kids, you know, they don't get to see stuff like that.
M: Awesome! Yeah the stuff there was really cool this year! Did you see-uh-Merchant of Venice or um...uh....what was....I don't remember what the other one was. Uh. Merchant...there was Merchant of Venice and um....Oh right the Winter Story.
W: Riiiight...no we didn't um, we didn't get to actually see a show there, but they did the tour and they got to see like behind the scenes and like see what it was about.
M: Oh that's too bad, you didn't get to see...cuz the tickets...the tickets are free there, aren't they?
W: I..........don't really know.
M: Yeah I think...I think they are. Yeah it's too bad. Um....the uh...
W: Wasn't someone famous in one of them?
M: YEAH! Al Pacino was in the uh Merchant and he played...oh crap the character's name is on the tip of my tongue....Aw man, I totally know it...he played...well so he lends - SHYLOCK! That's his name. Right, because they call him "shy shylock." So yeah Shylock lends this guy money to uh marry the woman of his dreams, and basically he's trying to get him to pay him back and the guy's like oh not right now, and oh later, and stuff, and so Shylock basically says well fine, you took too long, so now I want a pound of flesh! That's where that term came from - a pound of flesh - see he wanted...that's gross, right? That Shakespeare, he was a gruesome guy...the modern day Steven King, you might say
W: Pretty gross!
M: Yeah that Shakespeare...he always wrote tragedies...or maybe it was comedies. One or the other.
W: Yeah.
M: So we should get coffee sometime, I could tell you about my book, and we could talk more Shakespeare.
W: Ah....um, I really shouldn't...
M: What--teachers aren't allowed to have coffee?
W: N--
M: Or is it books? Not allowed to drink coffee and read at the same time?
W: No, I--
M: Or maybe it's drinking coffee, and reading, and talking about romance all at the same time.
W: No, I ah...it's another guy...is what it is.
M: OOHhhhhhhh yeah that would uh....that WOULD cause problems.
