20230911
========
7:50
----
Two men, both around 60 years old, were on a bus near the USA embassy.
- Is there the USA embassy? - Asked the first one.
- I don't know. I'm not interested in politics. I don't watch TV news. - Responded the second one.
The US embassy has been in the same location for many years. I didn’t expect anyone to be unfamiliar with it.
Today is September 11th. YouTube has been showing me videos about the WTC for several days. There isn't any news about what happened 22 years ago, but people still remember it. I can clearly recall the moment I first learned about the first plane hitting the building.
18:00
-----
I was on a bus when I spotted the ticket inspectors. They were waiting at a bus stop, trying to blend in with the other passengers. I don't know why, but they always seemed to stand out in such situations. Two large men were attempting to fit in on the opposite side of the bus stop, looking in different directions as if they were characters in a cartoon. Then, like secret agents, they scanned all the people, trying to guess who didn't have a valid ticket.
So many people without tickets had enough time to leave the bus. I observed two women with a wheelchair who suspiciously waited until the very last moment to disembark.
I must have appeared to be the last person without a ticket, as I was checked at the very last second. Just before me, they caught a young man who had been on the phone, loudly discussing a job position that their mutual friend had just informed them about – a seemingly impossible fact.
Either there are so many people without tickets that they always catch someone, or they aren't as inconspicuous as I think.
***
I want to share an experience I had in Vienna several years ago regarding ticket control. The ticket inspectors had a different approach; they were highly visible in their orange vests. At one point, they blocked every entry and stairway at a large metro station.
Accustomed to operating discreetly, I found their display of power amusing at that moment. Fortunately, I had a valid ticket with me at the time.
