strangers on a strange light rail.

A student from China in jeans and a black polo sits straight up in his seat, clutching his backpack on his lap. A beefy old American man in a yellow polo enters the train at the Sky Harbor stop, sits next to him, and informs him that he is sightseeing Phoenix. The Chinese student gives a shy laugh. The man then proceeds to initiate conversation- he has nowhere to go for the next six hours, and figures this is the cheapest form of entertainment. The student laughs awkwardly again. The man keeps him in conversation, asking about life as a student and China. The student's English is broken, but he obliges the man; the man informs him that “China has a promising future.” At this point the student belly laughs. “Maybe if we get the right government,” he responds. I put in my headphones and listen to Wilco. I can't listen to the man embarrass himself much more.