It's Moments Like This

Last Sunday I took the train from Florence to Venice to catch a flight back to Madrid.  I was assigned a seat arranged in a group of 4, with 2 people facing each other separated by a table in the middle.  The awkward chairs, I have learned, if you are traveling alone. "Oh well," I sighed, as I put my bag in the overhead compartment, took off my jacket and settled in for the two hour train ride to Venice. I was just sitting there, minding my own business, listening to my ipod and working on my Sudoku book while enjoying the snowy Italian landscape out the window.  Across from me sat a girl, about my age, maybe a little bit older, with short, black curly hair and a silver stud in the middle of her bottom lip.  She was wearing a "Champion" hoodie, and traveling alone.

We rode along in silence, saying nothing to each other.  Every so often, though, she would look up at me, and just stare at me; I could feel it.  A few times, I caught her looking, and it made me uncomfortable when we made eye contact.  Really uncomfortable, actually. What was I doing wrong?! I was just sitting there, minding my own business! Who did she think she was?  I considered moving to the dining car to avoid her, but stayed put, not wanting to bring all my stuff with me, and nervous that if I left it, it would be stolen.

About 45 minutes later, the Italian girl put on her jacket and collected her things. "Finally," I thought to myself, "I can have a peaceful, un-awkward train ride by myself!" As she left, without looking at me, or saying anything, she shoved a piece of paper my in my direction and walked away.  Confused, I examined it, and realized that she has made a sketch of me.  It was signed and dated, with "buon viaggio!" written on the back.

I looked up, and an older woman across the aisle smiled at me as I realized that I was so completely wrong about the Italian girl on the train to Venice.