Overheard – 20.52ish, 5th May 2011, on the London Overground between Stratford and Homerton

Man on phone on train –

'Mummy, I’m alright, I’m alright…No, mummy… I look into myself and I question myself – don’t worry about me, innit…Mum, I’m cool…I’m saying you don’t need to worry. I’m happy…the only way I can be happy is if I just be me…I’m not going to change myself for nobody. I’ve tried, but I’m not going to do that no more…I never fired up first…Mum, I respect people who respect me…Respect is earnt…Mum…Mum…Mummy…Mummy…I’m a grown man. I’ve got kids now…I know how to chat to my kids…I’m alright, I got my two big girls and I’m alright, and that’s the god’s honest truth…Mum, I hear you, I hear you…As I said, Mum, just let me be…You’ve got your own judgement…I respect people. He should have spoken to me like a son, not like a stranger...I’ve grown up now, as I said Mummy…Mum! I cannot believe you’re phoning me and talking like I did something wrong…I didn’t chuck at nobody…I’m not wrong, Mum…you always do that. At the end of the day, you know I’m not wrong…You know the reason I got upset…you know what happened, you saw it out of your own two eyes and heard out of your own two ears, Mummy…I didn’t disrespect him, he was disrespecting me. Daddy was disrespecting you. I don’t need to accept that…I’m tired of it, Mummy…Mummy, that was living good…I know…I know…I know. Mum, I’m respectful to you…it’ll never be the same…I don’t need to fix up…I got my destiny, I got my rights…Mummy, I don’t regret nothing. I don’t want nothing to do with him…Mummy, forget it…You’re talking over me! Listen to me! I’m trying to say something to you…Hold on a second, doesn’t to take a mathematician to work out why I was upset…No, before I lost my temper…No, I know myself…do you understand what I’m saying?...Mummy, I don’t need to talk. I’m not interested in nothing…Mummy, I won’t be there to fly…I won’t be there to fly…well, yeah, is it?...Is it?...Always there for me?...You trying to say I don’t do nothing?!?...I don’t believe…I’ll tell you that straight….What do you mean?...No…no…no, Mummy. I just said it’s nothing to do with you…I’m 32. I’m a sick person, is that it?...Yeah, that’s good…What am I supposed to do about it?....I’m sorry, I’m not a bad guy...’

– Man gets off train at Homerton, still talking