Ashamed of Myself

I haven’t gone out very often by myself yet, it’s too easy to get tired, I can’t carry anything anyway and I don’t want people bumping into me, not to mention it’s still warm and sticky so working up an extra sweat is doubly uncomfortable, but I did go out to get DVDs by myself last Friday.  I took the LUAS to minimise the potential for tripping on uneven sidewalks (sadly, something that affects me almost constantly) and on the way back got into a nearly empty carriage.  Empty until a goth kid complete with black leather trench, mile-high boots and chains and/or spikes hanging all over, decided to sit down right next to me.

I don’t know about you, but when I’m in an almost empty public place and someone decides to sit down right next to me it makes me think twice.  It’s breaking societal norms, people, so it leaves me wondering what exactly that person wants.  It could be as innocent as a seat in the sun, who’s to say, but it’s still a little weird and the fact that this kid was easily 6′ and had metal music clanging out of his skull earphones made it weirder.

So I sat there and tried to ignore him and when we got to the next stop a rush of people entered.  Goth kid stretched out his long legs and everyone flowed around them, a very safe distance from me.  Not too shabby.  Goth kid was helpful as a giant.  Who was to know?  We rode in silence a little longer until my stop.  I gathered my bag and scooted forward so that I could grip the rail and haul myself out of my seat.  As I did that, Goth kid sprang up, cleared a path to the door and nodded for me to use it.  I said thank you and he said “I hope you feel better soon”.

I caught a reflection of myself as the LUAS went by and my t-shirt left a few inches of angry red scar showing.  I can only figure that Goth kid saw it and in his own way came to my aid.  If I’d been thinking I would have told him he was a very sweet young man.  And to lose the chains.