Every day I overhear fantastic bits of dialogue. I hesitate to conclude that I am, by mysterious Fate, more likely to encounter moments of wit and wisdom among the hoi polloi. I think it’s my writer’s ear, constantly on the look-out for great phrases and great characters.
Sometimes these fragments make their way into my fiction, but often they stand as stories in their own right. As a record of the best of these snippets of overheard wit and wisdom, I hereby add to my Odd Thoughts category the twin series: Overheard Wit & Overheard Wisdom.
This is the first entry:
SCENE: Washington, DC. The Green Line Metro train has been waiting five to ten minutes at each station during the crowded morning commute.
Metro announcer: “Passengers, please be advised that there is a sick passenger on board a train ahead of us at the U Street station.”
Metro passenger on my train: “Yeah? You should be advised that there’s a hundred passengers sick of being on board this train at this station!”
