Sit Your Butt Down!

{DOORS OPENING}

Despite the lack of common sense and courtesy displayed by the masses, I know that it seems that we all tend to agree on when to give up your seat for someone else. But there are a few who act otherwise. I also have a Regular update and a new, but similar One-Timer today.

{PLEASE STAND CLEAR OF THE DOORS.}

So let’s get the obvious ones out of the way: The elderly, pregnant women and/or those with small children, and the disabled should always have a seat made available to them.

The less obvious ones tend to get exceptions: Those with a lot of stuff in their arms, packages, boxes, oddly sized items, but not luggage. People who are visibly exhausted and need to sit down (unless they refuse, some folks do better when standing up or prefer not to pass out and miss their stop).

Often times, people who are getting up to disembark the train will offer their seat to the closest person, especially when it’s a crowded train and it is to their benefit to be able to squeeze by and swap positions with the person standing immediately next to them in the isle.

There was this one time this week that I stood for all but the last two stops on my trip home when I finally gave in to fatigue and sat down in an empty seat. The train was all but empty at that point, but as I sat down, across the door from me was an old woman with this sour, cantankerous “how dare you” look on her face. Her eyes burned a hole through my skull until she realized I was staring right back at her through the Plexiglas divider and she changed her expression and averted her gaze.

Hmm. No one else was waiting for a seat when I sat down. Those who were still standing were just sticking out their commute and not interested in standing. Something about me taking one of many empty seats seemed to elicit the kind of look one would get from say, I don’t know, urinating in the bowl of holy water at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Yeah, that’s the look!

I only had one more stop to respond in kind to such an unwarranted stare-down, so I had little chance to respond in kind. When my stop came up, I got out of my seat and waited by the door. Just before the doors opened I looked directly at her, and began to scratch at the side of my nose with a stiff finger, making sure I had eye contact so that she could not mistake which finger I was using to do so.

Yeah, that one!

Childish, yes, but it was the best I could do in the short time I had. Well, on to other things.

Punisher

Remember how I’d mentioned that he’d removed his various and oh-so-witty buttons from his backpack and coat? Earlier this week I’d seen him drive up and park not far from me as I got out of my vehicle. Plastered all over the back of his maroon Saturn were various bumper stickers along the same vein as his buttons. Among them was still my favorite, given his stature: “FEAR ME.”

Sad Face 2

Two days ago, this poor One Timer was standing in the isle not more than five feet from me, but somewhat obscured by a handful of people between us. Her face and cheeks were puffy and red. The few times I caught a glimpse of her eyes, they weren’t very bloodshot, but showed obvious signs of having pouring tears not more than an hour ago, and were still moist. She was not tall enough to grasp the metal handholds above her, so she held fast to the one on the back of the seat beside her. When I could not see her, I was able to still see her gripping the handhold. Tight at first, then it would loosen up, and then turn bright red again when she clasped on.

This was when the train was not moving.

When the crowd finally cleared, she kept looking down, trying in vain to hide herself in her hair. When her stop came up, she stifled a sniff and quickly dabbed at her eyes with the back of her hand and took a quick breath. I wasn’t aware that I’d been staring directly at her for a good six to eight minutes until she looked up and locked eyes with me. For a split second, I froze and felt my stomach sink like I’d gotten caught with my hand in the cookie jar. I didn’t know what to do, so I just flashed a smile. The ruddiness of her face suddenly cooled and her skin looked normal as she smiled grandly back. She sort of tilted her head to one side, and smiled again before got off the train.

“You’re more than welcome,” I thought to myself in response.

{STAND BACK! DOORS ARE CLOSING}