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Silencio!

I drive into the station car park. It’s 9am, just after school drop off time. A woman sitting on the platform watches. She must wonder what on earth I’m doing. Everyone knows the car park is full by 8:15.

I see my target: the old red car. I stop next to it. I dig around in my car’s coin box for a key, then out I get. Click, I unlock the red car. Bag of stuff, out of my boot, into the old red car. I glance up at the platform. The woman is watching. Booster seat 1, out of my car, into the other. Booster seat 2, out of my car, into the other.

The woman’s stopped watching. She’s probably worked out what’s going on now. I lock the red car, get back in mine, and drive off.

It’s handover day. Just part of the weekly ritual of the single parent.

3pm. A colleague left her mobile phone, with loud annoying ring, on a desk while she went to a meeting. It rang and rang and rang. Then it stopped ringing. A few minutes later it rang and rang again. I got up, rejected the call, and switched to silent mode.

An hour later she got back and noticed voicemails left for her. Yup. I don’t think she’s noticed it’s switched to silent mode though. I wonder how long it’ll take before that gets noticed?

By Daniel Bowen

Transport blogger / campaigner and spokesperson for the Public Transport Users Association / professional geek.
Bunurong land, Melbourne, Australia.
Opinions on this blog are all mine.