Original post date: October 16, 2007 - Tuesday
There is a French proverb that says...
..."no one is so generous as he who has nothing to give".
So, a couple of weeks ago I'm on the bus, heading into town to have my bikini zone tidied up, just like I do the first Tuesday of every warm, sunny month... and as usual, I've brought along one of those little "rainy day" projects that you normally do around the house... nothing of earth-shattering importance, just one of those mundane little tasks you've been meaning to get done for longer than you care to admit. Provided it's not too complicated, a trek of any duration aboard public transportation is a great opportunity to complete, or at least put a dent in, such assiduous little chores! Besides, I'm the squirrelly type anyway... I need something to occupy my attention. Anyway, so there I am on the bus...
Despite making a point to busy myself, I had taken notice of the guy that had taken a seat across from me when he first boarded our common conveyance, probably three or four stops after I had. Beyond the fact that he was the only other passenger on the bus, the first thing that struck me about him was that he was dressed in quite a few layers for such a warm day. He even seemed to be huddling for warmth as he enveloped himself in his long topcoat. He was well-groomed, but overtly nervous, in such a way that made it seem that he might be experiencing some sort of physical withdrawal... this made him appear somewhat haggard to me, despite his manicuring. Though I had allocated enough of my attention to him to fashion such observations, I failed to pay him much heed beyond that as I refocused myself upon the tedium at hand. Almost immediately thereafter, though I was now aware of his presence, he was as much on my mind as he had been before he hopped on the bus... and it continued to be that way... until he spoke to me.
It may have been two minutes... it may have been twenty, so engrossed was I with my mindless little job that I had no clue how long he had been sitting across the aisle, facing me. His first words were almost jarring as they snapped me out of my trance-like state of occupation. I looked up to see him still seated, but leaning forward towards me, in an effort to lesson the distance between us, both physically and personally, it occurs to me now. He spoke quietly, pain reverberating in his soft, desperate voice.
"Hey, buddy... I hate to bother you like this, but could you please lend me a quarter?" he asked sheepishly.
I just stared back at him... silent.
"C'mon man... I really hate to be a pain in the ass," he said as he began to plead, "I really gotta make a phone call and there's a payphone at this next stop. You look like a good guy... hows about helping me out?"
"I don't have a quarter," I replied, surprising myself with the coldness and emotional distance with which I engaged the obviously tormented individual.
"Don't have a quarter???" he shrieked, his visage taking on a rather maniacal quality, "What the hell do you mean you don't have a quarter??? Come on, man... please just give me a quarter and I'll leave you alone. I promise!"
I continued to look back at him, expressionless. "Look... I'd like to help you out. I really would. I just don't have a quarter."
At this point, he shot out of his seat. "Well, fuck you then, you jackass! What the hell is wrong with you anyway?" he screamed, flailing his limbs about. "People like you... don't give a shit about..."
He never finished his harangue... before he could, I lunged at him and stuck him flush on his jaw with my right fist. He dropped to the floor and lay there motionless.
Maybe I feared for my well-being and let a rush of adrenaline get the best of me... I don't really know why I did it. For several moments, I stood over the unconscious heap at my feet. I knew he was still alive as I could see his torso expand and contract as he drew breath normally. Despite the ferocity of my punch, he didn't even seem to be bleeding.
I took a deep breath and exhaled as I looked up at the bus' graffiti-covered ceiling. Convinced that this poor soul was not in need of immediate medical attention, I sat back down and resumed rolling my quarters.
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