I was travelling home that night, after work and a meet up with a friend. It was around the usual time I am accustomed to traveling home and the generally uneventful ride too. I had my music on as I was feeling a little sleepy & tired. Half way in to my otherwise mundane ride home, I had to face, rather come across an unusual encounter.
I am sure those who travel in public transport are aware that one can come across many interesting conversations whilst travelling. However, much as I have been made to listen involuntary to many conversations, I have yet to come across a conversation as appalling as the one I heard that night.
A young man-I later learn he's 25 years old and is a dealer in furniture in Indibedda, Moratuwa- starts off by having loud conversations on the phone with a few of his friends. He, quite loudly at that, tells a friend that he's welcome to visit his house and enjoy a smoke should he wish to. He tells the place the cigarettes are hidden and where to smoke it so as to not be found by his parents. This stuck in my mind. As he kept getting numerous calls asking him where he is, he kept lying to those at the receiving end, stating that he's close by and would be there in a minute or two, when in fact he was more than half an hour away from his agreed meeting point.
The said young man then found an empty seat behind me and sat next to a school going boy. After a few more annoyingly loud conversations on the phone, he turned to the school kid and asked him in English what he was studying and what grade he was studying. This is where all the fun or should I say more appropriately, the shock begins!
I heard this conversation over the blaring radio to which I was content listening to. This young man strikes up his conversation with this school kid by asking what grade he is. Promptly the kid replies that he's studying in the Maths stream for his A/Ls. Further questions revealed that the kid was an Anandian, who was going home after tuition classes. The young man asked him some personal questions in to his family such as if he has any sisters and their age. This, is where my ears pricked up as I was concerned and rather stunned with the reply the school kid gave. Without any hesitation, the school kid replied with entire details. He has two elder sisters. One is 28 years old, the other, 24 years. The young man was interested in the latter of the two and inquired her details. She is working at the Seylan Bank, and luckily for that girl, this younger brother of her's didn't know the branch she was working in. This the young man found strange that the sibling didn't know further details. The young man then inquired in to further personal details such as the school kid's whereabouts. I couldn't believe my ears! The kid gave the exact location of his house. I almost fell off the seat in shock! The lady sitting next to me was fidgeting in the seat. I really wanted to turn around in my seat and tell the school kid that he should be insane to be telling total strangers about the whereabouts of his sisters. I wanted to tell him that as a woman and a sister, I would definitely be worried if I had a sibling like him, who rattles my personal details to total random strangers. I was sure glad that the kid didn't know the branch where the sister worked, because, had he known or told, I am sure that young man would have asked for her name etc.
I sincerely wished the conversation ended there. However, things weren't to be the way I, a by-standing listener to this conversation wanted it to be.
The young man proceeded to ask the school kid if he had a girl friend, to which he got an affirmative answer. He then proceeded to ask the kid if they had "sex" and if he liked "asses and legs". I swear my eyes were going to pop out! I couldn't believe it! He went on to say that he enjoyed having sex and liked asses very much. The young man told the kid that he should have as much sex as he can with the girlfriend. And this topic of conversation went on for a while. I should make it clear at this point that I have no objection with people talking about sex or sharing their thoughts about the opposite sex. However, I feel there's a place to do so and surely not in a bus for the entire bus load to hear! Or in this case, not to talk of women in such a manner when there are other girls /women around! I felt really aggravated. I wanted to turn around and tell them that I feel this is not the place to have such a conversation and certainly not within earshot of other women. I wanted to tell the two of them that they should be ashamed of themselves.
Fortunately or unfortunately-I don't know which- their topic of conversation changed. It then moved on to smoking. The schooling kid asked the young man whether he smoked. He said "yes, do you get the smell?" This was such a 'what the eff' remark to me! The young man asked the kid if he smoked. I couldn't hear the answer the kid gave, but I could guess the answer from the conversation that followed. The young man liked the answer and further encouraged the deed by asking if he had tried weed. When the kid's answer was negative, he was willing to introduce weed to him. I winced at what was going on. Again, I feel it's one thing for an individual to tread the wrong path, but to drag others along is unacceptable. Also, I felt really sorry for the kid. He was being stupid. I don't know whether he was trying to look 'cool' or what ever it is, but he was surely making a fool of himself.
By this time, we were in Katubedda. The young man was going to get off in Moratuwa. The school kid in a few halts, as he had told the young man that he lived in Katubedda. The young man then went on to advice him on how he should conduct himself in school. He told the kid that he shouldn't take any advice from the teachers, and that he should merely listen in class without answering any of the teachers' questions. He said, this method will get him through school. He further insisted on advising him on methods to pass his A/Ls, such as by doing past papers. At this point I wanted to turn around and ask the young man what authority he had to advice the school kid on getting through exams. But I refrained as I wasn't sure if it would be smart. But I didn't want to see a school kid go down the drain.
They both got off before I did, and I was in a mixture of emotions. I was shocked to an unbelievable height due to the school boy's reactions and total openness with a stranger, seething with anger as a sister and a woman in how we were discussed in public as if we are some 'creature' that should be enjoyed and discarded. I was ashamed for the two of them. I was shocked beyond words, utterly speechless because I couldn't believe I had heard this. I started questioning if my brother too would do something like this. When I told my brother this, he said he's not insane to talk with strangers in this manner. I think my shock has toned down a bit, but recalling that moment, I still can't fathom what I overheard.