Just a seat away from me, I noticed a woman silently reading a copy of The New Yorker on the train. I, in turn, opened up my backpack and pulled out my own copy featuring this week’s cartoon caption contest.

I looked over at her and hesitated. “Do I ask her?” I asked myself.

In the moment’s silence, I decided to go for it. “Excuse me?” I interrupted, “Can I get your opinion on something? What do you think of these cartoon captions?”

She laughed and replied, “Oh, so you’re the person who does these!”

I laughed and went on to show her what I had come up with. Many of them were standard, like the mention of regret or forgetting to pick up clothes from the cleaners.

But the two that I liked the most were about the dog in the background and the mention of the man’s socks.

She pointed out that, although the one about the dog was funny, the sock caption made more sense since the woman seems to be reacting to something the man is saying.

“His level of cluelessness,” she said and broke out in laughter. I couldn’t help but join her.

She was right. The man pointing out his socks as opposed to the rest of his wardrobe made it all the more humorous.