It Was Like Gone With The Wind

On my way to work the other day on Buchanan Street I saw a couple sort of calling to each other from a short distance apart and slowly moving away from each other. They both had one hand raised in a sort of farewell gesture. He was walking backwards away from her, she was standing with her jacket over her arm and a bag at her feet.

Guy: "Alright, doll see you later."
Girl: "Alright, babe see you later."
Guy: "Aye see you later, at the hoose."
Girl: "I'll see you at the hoose?"
Guy: "Aye see you at the hoose later, doll."
Girl: "Alright Davy, I'll see you later, at the hoose?"
Guy: "At the hoose, I'll see you later."
Girl: "Alright sweetheart, I'll see you later, at the hoose."
Guy: "Alright sweetheart, I'll see you later" (still each with hand raised in a permanent goodbye).
Girl: "Aye sweetheart, I'll see you back at the hoose."
Guy: "At the hoose?"
Girl: "Aye at the hoose, I'll see you later."
Guy: "Alright doll, see you later."

A couple on their way to their respective offices?  No, a couple of junkies. Their clothes were old, worn, dirty, ill-fitting, the jacket over her arm was a manky anorak, the bag at her feet was a ripped supermarket poly bag, their hair left me with no doubt it hadn't seen shampoo in weeks, and their faces were dirty and worn.

I'm now glad they never kissed. But a warming sight all the same. Even those people can show a semblance of reality which the majority would recognise.

We should all learn a lesson from this. What that would be though, I don't know.