Man scrutinises woman to find out why she looks so uncomfortable
With his unkempt appearance, pale skin and dark, piercing eyes, unemployed local man David Keegan could quite easily pass for a troubled writer or philosopher. But, really, he prefers to think of himself as a keen student of human nature – as demonstrated by his unrelenting scrutiny of a female fellow-passenger on the number 63 bus.
‘If there’s one thing I’m known for among my friends,’ he explains with a wry smile, ‘it’s people-watching. Wherever I am, I like to analyse those around me to find out what makes them tick. And this woman, with her awkward posture and refusal to meet my gaze, seemed like the perfect subject.’
Though she was seated opposite Keegan, in the most natural position to interact with him both verbally and non-verbally, the woman studiously ignored him, directing all her attention to her lap.
‘Well, naturally that piqued my interest. When you’re sitting in the optimum position to share a friendly smile, a polite hello or even a little harmless flirtation – to not take advantage of the situation seems almost pathologically unsociable. I felt like I just had to get to the bottom of this.’
But the more Keegan stared at the unknown woman, looking for the reason behind her strange behaviour, the more uncomfortable she seemed to become.
‘It was uncanny. As I analysed her every movement, she grew increasingly agitated, displaying one after another the telltale signs of tension, anxiety and acute embarrassment. It was as if I was watching the rich tapestry of another human being unravelling before my eyes.’
Fairly soon, Keegan realised he was witnessing a masterclass in classic avoidance techniques. The crossed arms, averted gaze and slightly trembling frame were all subtle but unmistakable indicators, speaking of some deep-seated psychological issue coming to the fore in this apparently healthy young woman.
‘I felt so sorry for her. In fact, I’d never wanted to reach out to another human being so much. But she was just erecting barrier after barrier, imprisoning herself ever deeper in her own personal torment.’
The first overt signal of the woman’s distress came soon, just moments after Keegan began jotting down her symptoms in the notebook he carried for that very purpose.
‘I’d hardly even begun to write my first-hand account of her condition when she suddenly stood up and dashed over to another seat at the far end of the bus. It was crazy. To make matters worse, the bus was turning a corner at the time and she almost fell. The other passengers must have found her behaviour a little alarming, to say the least.’
Determined to carry on his investigation, Keegan repositioned himself beside the now-distraught woman, beginning the kind of delicate game of cat-and-mouse with which any psychologist will be familiar.
‘It was a race against time. I felt like I was desperately trying to defuse a bomb before it exploded. Her panicky eyes, the hair twisted tightly around her finger, the mascara running down her face… They all told me that here was a woman close to breaking point. But why? I kept asking myself that maddening question – why?’
Keegan never did get the answer he sought. Before he could even begin to probe further, the bus arrived at its next stop and the woman hurtled out of the door, leaving Keegan staring helplessly after her.
‘I felt that I’d failed her. Here was a woman in need of assistance, compassion, understanding, and while I’d tried my best it simply wasn’t enough. Before I could even put my finger on what was bothering her, she vanished.
