Trainrides as metaphor

My train ride from Budapest to Berlin could act as a great metaphor for some of my past relationships. Four of us sat in this tiny room on the train for 12 hours together without anyone saying a word to anyone else. We obviously had three different native languages, but at least three of us spoke German, and three spoke English.

We stared at each other from time to time, and busied ourselves with our books and our fingernails. Inevitably someone would turn away with only the slightest touch of embarrassment. At some point I offered everyone some Juicy Fruit gum. I got one taker and two mumbles.

Fate trapped us in a room for 12 hours, but it could not make us communicate. There is something very applicable about this as a metaphor.