For a while there was silence, at least within the speed of a fast train. After a while, my roommate did what was originally my intention. She rested her head on the seat and began to doze. I studied it carefully over the edge of the newspaper. We were just passing through one of the larger railway stations, where it did not stop but could not be avoided. There were a lot of switches and crossing rails, so that every minute the train jerked as it crossed all the tracks. And I couldn't help but notice that my fellow travelers were slowly spreading their legs apart by the tremors.