The 7 train terminus is Times Square, where I get on it. This means it comes, I'm one of the first people on, and I sit and wait until the train is filled so they can leave.
Yesterday, going home, I got on and noticed that there was something of a spongey puddle of blood right in the middle of one of the seats, left by the last person in it (I'll let you do the math). I sit in a clean seat across from it. I watch as more people come in, get close, notice it, and walk away to another seat. In New York City, it's not even worth batting an eye over or making a comment. The train starts going, and at each stop with the new load, it's the same process: get close, notice it, walk away.
On comes a lady from the Grand Central Station stop, in a nice, summery work outfit. She goes right up to the chair, while bringing her hand out. She points one long, boney ET-type finger in front of her and RUBS THE BLOOD, I'm assuming to see if it is fresh, or a dried stain (which, let's be honest, wouldn't be the first in those subway cars). I was SO HORRIFIED, my jaw ACTUALLY dropped, and she ended up walking away, so I suppose that was the verdict, which was equally horrifying. I think I watched a little something like this:
Let me rewind a little so the folks at home get the full impact of this scene: This was a woman in work clothes getting on at Grand Central Station. She could be anything from a receptionist at a dentist's office to a creative account exec a la Mad Men. She was not a delirious, homeless baglady. And I myself am not the cleanest person in the world. I don't carry hand sanitizer around, and I've been known to eat food even after it's fallen on the floor, but MY GOD this incident haunted me all evening. Not even Game of Thrones was intense enough to take the memories away!
See, this is the New York only the natives know.
No comments:
Post a Comment