Mumbler

I usually try to stay clear of strange characters on the subway but this morning I was taken by surprise as I sat down next to a man in jeans and a button down shirt. He seems totally normal until he took a quarter out his shirt pocket. He then began talking to the quarter. The problem was that it was not words! He was twirling it between his fingers and then mumbling at it. This went on for about 5 minutes. It seemed to be an intense conversation until it ended and the quarter was deposited back into the pocket where it originated.

The man really wasn't bothering me and I was slightly amused as I sat there and read my amNY. All of a sudden I felt a movement that was very close to my shoulder. The man had slid over and was reading the newspaper with me. I went to turn the page and he grunted. I guess he wasn't finished reading yet! The funny part is that the paper is free and handed to you as you enter the subway, there is no reason to share the paper! I must have been reading too quickly for his liking so he pulled another object out of his pants pocket and began a mumble conversation. He was not too loud and I don't think any other subway riders realized that the man was talking or attempting to talk to inanimate objects.

We got to 42nd street and he stood up, grunted to the woman standing in front of him and made his way off the train.

The woman and I exchanged a smile and a shake of the head which is a perfect example of classic subway stranger language.