brunobaby

I got on the "F" train this morning and squeezed into the middle of a three-person seat facing the aisle. I smiled an "excuse me" to the people on my right and my left. The young man on my left started taking off his iPod earbuds and I thought he was going to ask me a question.

Instead, his face became instantly vicious and he began to rant at me, "You bitch, you c__t, I'm sick of your attitude you nasty bitch..." I grabbed my bag and headed to an empty seat at the other end of the subway car. People were looking away as if I were the crazy person. I wanted to say "I'm a nice person! Don't listen to him!"

When I got to my stop and began to stand, all of a sudden the guy came from nowhere into my face again and resumed his rant, then ran off the train and up the stairs, knocking people out of his way. I turned to the people around me.

"Uh, did anybody see that?" Again, everybody was like, "Don't look at her; you'll only encourage her."

"Okay, just me then."

I stopped shaking by the time I got upstairs and got my coat off. When I went out at lunchtime, I noticed I was walking on eggshells. That nice lady over there...was she suddenly going to come up in my face and turn vicious? What had I done to provoke this guy? What innocent thing was I going to do that would provoke the next person to attack me?

Best not make eye contact. Then I won't set anyone off.