May 09 2001
The detritus of modern life
If you live in a city, or even a big town, you’ve probably noticed random items of clothing abandoned on the street at one time or another. If your mind is as frivolous and shallow as mine is, you probably wonder what the story is behind that left-behind clothing. Where did that guy go after shucking off his jeans? Why couldn’t he take his underwear one more second? Maybe it was, as the French say…insupportable.
Today on the way to work, I noticed a single, very high-heeled yellow patent leather mule lying on its side in the gutter. What had happened to its owner (and its mate)? Was she swept off her feet by her lover, or abducted by aliens? Did she notice the missing shoe? I will never know.
When I was a child, I remember waiting for a train with my father in England. When the train arrived, it was one of the old fashioned kind which you still occasionally see over there, with compartments and a corridor. A woman got in and sat down next to the window in our compartment. As the train pulled out of the station, she noticed that one of her gloves was lying on the platform. Quickly, the pulled down the window and tossed the other glove onto the platform to join its mate. This made a big impression on me — it was the first time I had ever seen a grown-up act so spontaneously. And I still think it’s cool.