Dear Diary,
Sometimes when you’re on your way to work in the usual morning commute, something comes up that breaks up that monotony. Usually the trains going in and out of Queens have a particularly colorful character riding it. Today’s drama was this:
A slice of life in the NY Subway:
I’m riding into my work today and get on the F train during the morning commute hour (or a little later than usual, for that). On the end of the 6 seater sat a black woman dressed in all black, with a large metal partition on wheels positioned in front of her. She was also carrying many bags.
Train is packed, and we’re all rumbling along when we get to Queensbridge and I hear…
“Don’t TOUCH me, BITCH!!”
She started getting angry with another commuter who I think had her elbow or something that touched her, but this set off a rant.
She follows with a rant of “white bitches”, “all dressed in black”, racial slurs and something about Brooklyn, Trump and all things that are wrong in this world right now.
She gets angry with another rider and claims that he/she tried to hurt her, so she goes on the offense with the rolling partition, which she is now shaking it in anger towards the other riders. Unfortunately, a corner of the partition hits this little Asian girl on the back of the head and she edges away from the commotion while rubbing her head (getting off immediately at the next available station).
She sits back down and continues to rant on but this time adding, “someone give me a dollar for gloves? I’m cold”. By now there’s this circle of open space around her where the commuters are trying to ignore but also warily watching her.
We reach 42nd Street and she decides to suddenly get off. She scrambles to get the rolling partition off onto the platform into the rush hour crowd, along with the collection of her bags and stands there near the stairs, continuing to be yelling at the passer-bys. It left me curious as to what she planned to do with the rolling partition – she was guarding it like it was her prized possession (which it very much could have been).
That was how my rainy Tuesday morning began….
(Grateful that I am sane, well fed and have a good roof over my head) Little Reiko and (equally happy it’s fed and comfy with its fatness) Turkey
Little Reiko's Diary 