So I'm trying to get home from the movies and I decide to take the bus home because I think it's safer than the train at this time of night. Good thing I do because I fall asleep around 59th street. When I wake I find myself fast approaching 87th. street. That would be cool if that was where I was going but I overshoot my stop by about a mile. DAMMIT!! Now I have to ride the damn train. So when I get there I see I have just 2 minutes until the train arrives and I only have one stop to go. So two minutes seem like 10 and then the damn train passes me by. Out of service. Motherf.ff.ff..f. Ok, calm down. I can just get the nest one... in about 15 minutes. Crap! So I'm standing under the heat lamps. Wait. Why are the heat lamps on this early in the year? They usually don't turn those on until November and it's not even Halloween yet. Normally I would not complain but these things are baking the shit out of my ears right now. Suddenly this drunk comes up to me asking for a light. Well, I assume that is what he wants because he has a cigarette in hand. It looks like one of those brown wrapped Native American style ones to boot. Well, anyone that knows me knows how much I abhor cigarettes in any form so you can imagine the response he got from me. Then he goes over to this young lady and asks her for a light. By now he is leaning in on her like many drunk people do when they forget about personal space. I can see on her face that she is far too kind to cuss him out so I intervene.
"Hey, dude."
**garbled response**
"Can't you see that she does not want you in her face like that?"
"Huh?"
"I said she doesn't want to be bothered."
"What?"
"I said GET THE FUCK OUT OF HER FUCKING FACE!!!!"
"Man, I just want a light for my cigarette."
"THERE AIN'T NO DAMN SMOKING ON THE FUCKING PLATFORM, DUDE!! DON'T YOU SEE ALL THESE FUCKING SIGNS??? GET THE FUCK ON!!"
***He shrugs acknowledgment while leaning far too close to MY face***
Then the guy goes back to his part of the platform and proceeds to argue at the passing traffic, occasionally looking back at me. I suppose he was cussing me out, at a safe distance.
So I get on the bus and try my best to stay awake. This really pretty young girl gets on followed by four dudes who are harassing her. Hell, even the loose square guy was trying to get at her. I didn't notice at first because I was concentrating on staying awake but then she asks can she sit next to me. I'm annoyed at first until I realize the guy steadily picking at her hair. What the flying fuck is it tonight? Am I the designated protector on the CTA tonight? I look at my coat to see if it resembled a cape or something because it seemed to be one of those nights. I relent and let her sit in the window seat. The guy asks if he can sit with her saying that he is her boyfriend and they just had a fight. She quickly states that he is not her boyfriend so I say no. He looked like I slapped him when I said it. "Come on, man. I want to sit there." I refuse him again and I sit down. I hear the others egging him on to hit me for blocking his attempt to woo her. I remove my hood and put my phone in my pocket. He mumbles a bunch of "I should do this and that" while grabbing at her hair. Now, unfortunately, the rules of engagement on city buses state that I have to let him throw the first punch before I retaliate in order for me to not get arrested and I had to let her endure the hair touching until SHE told the bus driver about the unwanted attention. Before I could get loud about the situation they all got off the bus, still mumbling what they would have done. I really wanted that guy to swing because I would have taken out every bad bus story I had up until this one on his head. What was really crazy about it was that normally I would be at home asleep at this time of night so I could go to my treatment in about an hour.
P.s. I forgot to tell you that it was a full moon and I did not get any rest because I go home in time enough to turn around and go to treatment...after I typed this out.
