I was coming home, sitting in the RER. I was absorbed in a book. I rarely read when commuting or travelling, but since some days I am. Absorbing book. So, I was reading, when in the middle of the commute, some commotion arose. I was deeply absorbed, so I didn't gather it till late. Till it got to a crescendo.
The lady beside me had objected to the guy sitting opposite to me, and thus diagonally across to the lady, who had been sitting with headphones on, that she could hear the music and it's disturbing her. I wonder she didn't protest against the loud RER announcements. The guy protested, you cannot, I am hearing through a headphone. The lady insisted aggressively, but I can. Suddenly a couple standing beside intervened: the girl said, it's the child playing in the other row. There was a probably gypsy mother and child across the aisle; it was around the time when the girl intervened, I really was drawn to this scene. Then I tried to hear the music, but couldn't hear. Then I strained my weak ears, and finally I could hear some faint, pleasant tune playing. The lady said aggressive sorries, but since the guy didn't say it's ok, the lady was offended, and protested, saying "Cool, cool", losing her cool in doing so, though. Another guy, sitting right opposite the lady, smiled and expressed sympathy with everyone.
I wondered, the lady didn't then turn to the gypsy woman and protested. Because she was not French? She expected uncivil behaviour from the non-French, didn't she?
