Sunday, August 05, 2007

Hell left the back door open



I hate when hell leaves the back door open. It’s been disgustingly hot and humid for the past week. Heat like this is a breeding ground for a cornucopia of bad fashion decisions. It was Friday we were in day I dunno what of the heat wave and the strain of the heat was showing on everyone’s face. All eyes seemed to be focused on the darkening sky. The weatherman had been predicting cooling thunderstorms all week and it looked as if they were finally headed our way. A flash of lightning and then a gentle rain begins to fall and in the distance the rumbling of thunder could be heard. The rain makes more people than usual head into the subway. It’s the height of rush hour and the train is so crowded that if someone fainted they’d have no room to land. It’s a bad day to ride the subway and an even worse day to be wearing a tube top.

The ride is bumpier than usual it seems that the train tracks are protesting the weight of the train by trying to push us off them every time we make our way over another section of track. The train suddenly lurches forward causing a business man to lose his grip on the pole he’d been holding onto. Instinctively he reaches out to grab something to keep himself from falling back onto the people standing behind him. Unluckily for the young woman in front of him he grabbed her tube top pulling it down exposing her boobs to the entire Bronx bound # 6 train. He turned bright red and quickly apologized to the woman. I’m sure part of him was scared witless that the pretty Latina would turn around and beat him down beyond recognition. She pulled up her top and covered “the girls” with the speed of light while the majority of the people around her pretended not to notice even though a few chuckles here and there rippled among the crowd. She looked around the car giving those who dared stare at her the evil eye and quickly went back to reading the latest Harry Potter book.

The majority of passengers made their way off at the next stop and the young woman slid into the nearest available seat. When the doors closed she looked up and caught the eye of an older grand motherly looking woman sitting across from her . The older woman arched her eyebrows and raised her finger in the air at the young woman and with her thick Spanish accent offered the young woman some advice in the form of gentle scolding.... “ That is why you’re supposed to wear a bra at all times. I know for a fact that they sell bras for those tube tops, next time invest in one. Yes it is hot pero no pa tanto para estar casi desunda en la calle ( it’s not for all that to be practically naked on the streets ) Ustedes la junventud de hoy no tienen verguenza, no usan la cabeza (the youth of today has no shame, they don’t use their heads).” The young lady said nothing she quickly lowered her head her and pretended to read. Her eyes filled to the brim with tears threatening to splash down on her book at any moment.

Labels: subway stories, summer in nyc

Posted by @ 4:33 PM
3 comment from:  christina/ohio,  DannieS72,  Just Jane,