CTA Tattler

Heady conversation -- between pass-outs

I board the Red Line north at Grand, and spy a seat in the facing seats by the door. Another touristy-looking gentlemen sits next to me by the door, wearing bright orange workout shorts, a T-shirt and yellow cap.

A guy in the adjacent is bent over almost in my seat, trying to dial a cell phone. Suddenly he turns to the guy by the door (I'm sitting between these two guys), hands him the phone over my back, and says, "Aw man, I just remembered we're in the tunnel and can't get any phone service here."

The two guys start talking. The guy who was trying to make the call is obviously coked-out or high on something else. His head hangs; his eyes drip red. The touristy guy tells him how he was trying to find his way around the city, and just got back from the Museum of Science and Industry. "You really oughta go see Body Worlds. It's really meant for adults you know."

This caught coke-guy's attention. "Oh yeah, tell me about that!" Like he expected some lascivious tales about nude bodies. Instead he got scientific tales about nude bodies.

Then coke-guy fell asleep. Head hanging down. When we exited the tunnel he just picked up where he left off chatting to touristy-guy. And he asked for the phone again. Made his call. And passed out again. And woke up again and started chatting.

All this time, touristy-guy is very nonchalant, and continues to talk -- when coke-guy is conscious at least.

It was all very surreal.