universal

I sneak into the back of the cab

It’s always a quiet moment. Invariably, as the driver sees that I am not ‘from around here’, he keeps quiet. I, being not ‘from around here’, do the same.

I settle in, watch the lights of the neighbourhood wander past, and listen

The radio is gentle, understated, some kind of talk radio. I strain to understand, navigating tones and sharp cuts to find any kind of meaning

Gotta keep studying

When I hear, unmistakeable

Leicester City and Brighton

Now they’re speaking my language.

In my broken, flawed Vietnamese, I manage to ask whether he likes football, and he’s off.

Pulls out his phone, excited now. Points to today’s fixtures.

Man City – Man U

I ask which team he likes

No Man City! Too much money!

On this we can agree. I have a begrudging respect for them, but yeah.

I consider explaining how the Top 6 are basically an oligopoly, how the bottom half of the table serves largely as a farm system for the big clubs, symbolic of the inequity plaguing our greater society and inherent issues with capitalism as a problematic pillar of our modern world

But decide that might be a tough explain

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So, instead, we spend the rest of the ride in silence, the radio show in good form

Smiling

Appreciating our shared language