Some things are just too good to be true. Today I observed one of those real life characters that I will never forget.
How could I possibly not notice him? He passed me yelling “where in Hell is my fucking lobster?” to someone on the other end of the phone. In English, in Sweden, at a trolley stop.
The left-alone pram with a possibly three-year-old girl sitting inside was his and he walked back and forth, circling it, giving it an occasional push, but not once sharing a word with the child.
They entered the same trolley as I and he left the pram at the area suited for it and walked further back with the girl, sitting down next to me. He gave her his purse-looking-box to hold and guard and then fliped open a laptop with a 3G-usb-modem sticking out and started away, while he asked the girl what she wanted for lunch. The choice was between hamburger and pancakes. I hoped she would answer “hamburger” because obviously her guardian (probably also father) had no idea that he wouldn’t find any place serving pancakes (unless it’s a Thursday).
She said she wanted hamburger and suddenly the man realized that they should get off. Holding the still open laptop in one hand and the taken-back-purse in the other, he had no hand left for the girl as he hurried to the pram.
The girl got behind, but I though that of course the man stops with the pram in the door preventing them from closing, letting the girl off. But no, he exited the trolley before the girl was by the doors. I was half out of my seat ready to take care of a crying, left behind girl, when I saw her getting off in time.
What a character!
Now, I don’t want to insinuate that mothers are better than fathers. I’ve seen some “bad” moms too. And terrific fathers. I also want to point out that I’ve just seen a small snapshot and that is rarely the whole story.
But what I saw was a fantastic character I need to remember.
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