one upped by a painter

on the 4:13 back up to peasants pissoir while trying to make a dent in the backlog grantas to be read - the economic downturn has fewer people reading and discarding their new york times on their ride home - amidst the lasalle street types and the kenoshans calling it a day, an i-podded art student is working away two seats from me on the upper deck.

at highland park he leans across the breach and hands buddy on the other side the sheet of paper he was working on. buddy - whom i recognise as he gets down in winthrop harbour - seems puzzled not knowing what to do with it.

-you can have it - the art student says. it seems that it is a drawing of buddy.
-i am going to throw it away if you don’t want. buddy stares at it a bit and tries to find a way of not folding the paper as the student packs to leave the train.