What Caused the Jam

"Ah, it's so heavy" i hear a man say. I thought he was on the phone, because he spoke in intervals. "I studied for more than twenty years!" he says. He is talking to himself. "Why are you so busy, with all those construction sites? Let me talk to your boss. Who's in charge here?" I looked around and people were doing their best to ignore him. Then he started swearing.

Sitting in the seat right behind him, i hear exactly what he's saying even when he pretends to be talking into his phone. I don't mean to listen, but his voice is loud and distinct. It reaches my ears and they naturally react. There's tension in his tone, a hint of aggression, but i don't feel alert. I look out the window and see a packed intersection near city hall. I wonder what caused the jam.

I also wonder what must have happened to the man. I imagine he was a quiet student, an ambitious scholar. He had a modest childhood, a humble first job. Perhaps he met a girl who was fond of a quiet life. Everything was perfect until one day, the school couldn't afford to maintain his department. He lost his job, he lost his wife, the simplicity of his life. At the end, he lost his mind.