Last night, I got on a train and firmly grasped a center pole.
Fractions of a second later, a skinny young man in a very puffy coat with a hat on and his face otherwise buried in his GameBoy/PSP/Whatever pivoted from a side pole, shuffled a few steps while playing said Whatever with both hands, and flung himself, belly-first, into the pole I was holding, wrapping his right arm around it at shoulder level so he could lean his whole torso, up to his shoulder, against the pole while still playing the Whatever.
As my fist sank into the downy layers of his jacket, I allowed myself a few moments to ponder. Surely he didn’t do this on purpose, but can he really not feel my knuckles pressing into his stomach? He’s pretty skinny, and there isn’t much going on under there beneath the down.
Before I had time to think about how to extricate my now very cozy hand, whether he might get off the train before me, whether I should say something, I realized I was wiggling my fingers. He jumped back and made a little noise and then apologized. I mumbled an awkward apology, too, like I tend to do when someone steps on my foot or lets a door close in my face. The woman in the closest seat facing me, who had apparently watched the whole thing, laughed out loud and covered her mouth.
6 responses so far ↓
1 eben // Nov 15, 2007 at 6:12 pm
At least your trains *have* center poles.
(Oh Boston. I hate your public transportation so hard.)
2 Brock // Nov 16, 2007 at 5:41 pm
On a completely unrelated note, I love that you have a category called “There and Back Again”.
Is it just me, or was that inspired by J. R. R. Tolkien?
3 abbyjaye // Nov 16, 2007 at 5:49 pm
That is just you, dear. Sorry. Unless it was subconscious, in which case, of course it is Tolkien! I have read only one of those books ever. And come to think of it, you were there for it. LIKE FOURTEEN YEARS AGO. Omg.
4 kelly // Nov 21, 2007 at 5:48 pm
this has definitely also happened to me.
abby, wait until you walk into an empty subway car, during rush hour, think to yourself, ’sweet,’ then realize the reason it’s empty is because a ridiculously dirty, smelly homeless man is sleeping there and everyone in the next car is laughing at you.
ahh.
5 Chris // Dec 3, 2007 at 6:36 pm
At least you all have public transportion, up here in the mitten state, your place in society is not defined by your zip but rather how many cars are in your driveway. And we laugh and stare at people who have the nerve to walk. Losers.
6 Kate // Jan 2, 2008 at 1:15 pm
my pet issue is overweight people who lean against the pole, obscuring it as it nestles in the crevice of their backside. um, please. stop. please.
Leave a Comment