Place: Argelès-sur-mer Gare. Quai 1
Time: 7:15
Reason for being there: Meeting Rick's train from Paris
For those that have never travelled by train in France, it is necessary to "Compostez" your ticket in the yellow machine which stamps the date before you board the train. Without it, if a conductor checks your ticket, there is a cash payment required immediately.
A young couple appeared, probably just out of the lycée. They were dressed in hiking boots. She wore shorts and a plaid top. He was in jeans and a T-shirt. They had four tickets, probably one for each of them allez et retour...
He pushed the ticket in the machine. A bell, no click of the stamp. He turned the ticket each way.
Nothing.
He tried all four tickets all ways.
A woman with a green suitcase came up. Put her ticket in and click, it was stamped. She went down the stairs to the quai 2.
I suggested he hold the top of the ticket closer.
Nothing for all four.
An elderly man and his wife went to the machine and their tickets went through -- no problem.
The girl tried, the boy tried. She tried again. One ticket got stamped. Three did not.
And so it went. Others had their tickets stamped but the kids were still stampless on three tickets. Now a crowd was watching and making suggestions.
A second ticket garnered a click.
More people with tickets that pleased the machine de compostage made suggestions.
Finally, after many, many tries the third ticket was stamped.
More suggestions. The fourth ticket began to look a bit worn.
Finally the kid pushed the ticket as hard as he could into the yellow mouth.
Click.
Everyone cheered.
The train pulled in and everyone got on as Rick got off.
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