Saturday, December 02, 2006

Another dead man

"Ty vole!" was all the Czech guy on the back of the tram could say. Okay. Another friend calling another friend 'you fool' (the direct translation is too silly to mention).

But there were car brakes and tram brakes and people slamming into each other. People caught their breath. I looked out the tram window at the cars with the black snakes behind the wheels. I said to my girl that I see this every day and that Czechs can't drive. Another fender bender.
Then I saw the single black shoe in the crosswalk. She told me that it wasn't a fender bender. I agreed. Somebody got hit by a car in front of us.

The tram waited for a while. People made mobile phone calls. People said 'ty vole' alot. Then the tram lurched forward. I don't know why they do that. The lurching bit. It seems to imply that the driver was involved--and hurriedly needs to depart--or that he needs to stay on schedule. Nothing to see here, people, moving along now. The tram pulled forward and people pressed against the glass to get a look.

We looked. Of COURSE WE DID. You will too, when you get the chance (and you will, unless you live in a mountain cabin and don't leave it). It was in fact a dead man. Or maybe a dying man. I'm not a doctor, but an immobile body in the street with a meter-long blood smear leading up to his head could elicit a layman's prognosis. Or maybe it was the people standing around, not helping. Must've given up. Nobody helping. Right? Nobody's that apathetic...

We talked about the dead man later on. Or rather, she did. She had her theories about life and death. She bought a crystal rock thingie at a Christmas stand outside of an old Gothic church in Prague 2 (where all the saints live). She wondered if all of the horror films we had watched that weekend had something to do with our witnessing the vehicular manslaughter (not her words). I mentioned something about coincidence.

People have a lot to think about. I don't put too much of my thoughts into life and death. I just try to live. Dying is easy. Just step out in front of a driver in Prague on a Saturday night.

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

You have a gril friend? tell me about her.

8:11 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

my spelling sucks today. craigu when are you going to be in sac? e-mail me

8:13 PM  

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