People watching is like

a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get.

I like to watch people.  I've been a people watcher I guess all my life.  When I am out in public I like being quiet, I try to become a chameleon and blend in with my surroundings.  I especially liked to do this when I rode on public transportation or if I was on an airliner, because we are all crowded together like sardines, and it is easy to do.

Being a people watcher does not mean you have to be constantly looking at people, you can catch whole glimpses of them by eavesdropping on their conversations as well.  Put both together and you learn a lot.

I was on a bus once, sitting behind a man and woman.  It was obvious they were acquaintances, but at the same time, by eavesdropping, I also knew they knew very little about each other.  As their conversation continued it became quite clear she was a...well...I'm just going to have to say it (and I don't want this to sound awful)...a prostitute. 

I was facinated, he tried to make her comfortable, and told her where they were going was his apartment, it was actually a room at a motel, but he was a resident (lived) there.  Apparently he had not lived there long, he hoped she would like it.

They were both clean, though poorly dressed, not especially attractive, and nervous, very nervous.  She fidgeted quite a bit and I couldn't help but wonder if she had taken some kind of drugs.

She also appeared to be out of her element and told him she was unfamiliar with 'this part of town', which lead me to believe this added to her uncomfortable demeanor.  I imagined the thoughts running through her head.  "How do I get out of here if I need to?"  "What bus do I take to get back down town?"  "Which direction will I need to go?"  I know those thoughts would have been going through my head.

Anyway, I watched and listened until they arrived at their stop, in front of a grocery store.  Since I was familiar with the area, I had a pretty good idea exactly which 'apartment' they were headed for.  I watched their unstable steps as they moved to the front of the moving bus.  I was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. I felt sad for them.  They seemed like very nice people who had for reasons of their own, and the choices they had made, appeared to become, lonely, lost, weary souls. 

Then, just like that, in seconds, they were gone from my life.

Over the years I have often thought of them, and have wondered what they did with the rest of their lives.  I hope the years have been kind. 

Yes, people watching is like a box of chocolates; my box has creams, nougats, jells and nuts each a tasty snippet into strangers lives.  I never know the beginning of their story, and I never learn the end.  But for a brief time I'm a part of them, they are part of me.  Now, these two people are part of you, too.