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| Campbelltown Station. |
I stop eating my apple and look at him. He is wearing sneakers and a navy blue suit which looks un-ironed on him, flecks of grey streak through his black beard and hair. He could be a swarthy looking Russian or an Armenian or from somewhere similar. Without saying a word I reach for my back pocket. He takes this gesture for an acceptance and thanks me but not waiting for his coin takes a seat at a bench. I give him two dollars, the only gold coin I have in my pocket, and he then lies down on the bench and shuts his eyes as if to sleep.
The station guard walks down the platform.
“Where are you going mate?” Which station are you going to?” He asks, waking the vagrant.
“The city,” mumbles the other.
“Well you can’t sleep, you’ve only got eight minutes. You can’t sleep and miss this train like the last one.”
He’s not going to the city, I reflected to myself. Didn’t have a phone call to make either — he has no-one to call. No more than he has a place to go to. I reflected on this strange enforced wandering of the life of a vagrant.
