In the Metro

The wheels of the metro car clattered with a loud, rhythmic noise, each bump echoing as they completed their circular motion. It felt like a drum solo. The passengers sat in silence, their eyes fixed on the screens of their smartphones. Only two girls stood face to face, smiling at each other like the closest of friends. Their mouths moved rapidly, words tumbling out like machine gun fire.
“It’s nice that there are still people who remember how to talk to each other,” I thought. These girls seemed eager to share their most hidden secrets.
Suddenly, the metro train slammed on the brakes, slowing down sharply, as if someone had hit the emergency stop. One of the girls lost her balance and stumbled forward. Her lips pressed tightly against the lips of the second girl, as though glued.
“How sensuous and gentle that looked,” I thought, my heart fluttering.
“Are you an idiot?! All my lipstick is ruined! Thanks to your clumsiness!” the first girl—who had been kissed—shouted.
The damage to her lips wasn’t the only mishap. One of her earphones had slipped out of her ear and fallen to the floor.
“I couldn’t hear you,” the second girl said, removing an earphone from her own ear.
It was disappointing. They weren’t talking to each other; they were talking to their smartphones, chatting with friends. I cursed myself for being so idealistic, thinking people could still enjoy a face-to-face conversation.
“Don’t be so dramatic. I have perfect lipstick, and we’ll fix yours in no time,” the second girl said.
She pulled out her lipstick and, like an artist, began to work on the first girl’s lips. In a minute, the first girl checked her portable mirror and smiled with a relaxed expression.
“Try my perfume. Are you going on a date today?” the second girl asked.
“Sort of…” the first girl giggled, still smiling.
“Is it tall with big muscles or a fat wallet”?
“No, but he has a blue eyes”
“Tell me everything, we are big friends now!”
It felt intrusive to continue following their conversation, so I moved to the other side of the metro car.
But it was comforting to realize that no gadget could ever replace the joy of a live, face-to-face conversation.