One daze at a time...

By Raheny_Eye

A big, strong girl

That's Marie*, from across the table in carriage B on the Dublin Heuston - Westport.
Just before taking her seat, she folded her coat and put away her shopping bags and when I saw the wheeled carry-on luggage hard case at her feet, I offered to put it in the overhead rack for her. She grinned and declared in a confident, authoritative voice that she was a big, strong girl and that she would manage. 
Sure enough, she picked up the case with a firm grip and lifted it to the level of the table without much visible effort. Things went unfortunately downhill from there. The strain to get it further up appeared to increase exponentially until it became clear that she was about to slip a disk, if she was going to reach the rack at all. It all happened in a split second. She looked at me and conveyed without words that she had changed her mind. I leapt to my feet and stowed her suitcase overhead. 
I mentioned casually that items of luggage rapidly feel much heavier once held at arm's length. We had an understanding. She was still a big, strong girl. 
And to confirm that I had very temporarily given her a hand rather than humiliate her, she offered me one of the Haribos from the pack that she tore open the second the train started to roll away from Heuston Station. 

* since very few of us anonymise the seat reservation displayed overhead, travelling with Iarnrod Eireann is often on a first name basis. 

Comments
Sign in or get an account to comment.