as the train rolls in, i see a wheelchair through the doorway i'm about to use -- with two bricks in the seat. though i step back to let the disheveled man behind the wheelchair out, others press forward. eventually, he realizes it's not his stop. he wheels his chair out of the way and puts one brick down in front of each back wheel to keep the chair from rolling around before wandering off to stand somewhere else.
he ambles back over before we get to his stop, picks up the bricks, puts them back on the seat and readies for disembarkation. "people try to rob me, i wish i could grow wings," spills out from a meth-addled auctioneer's voice. "someone tried to rob me the other day, i laid em flat with a brick." no one expresses disbelief. "really, just the other day, someone tried to rob me."
normally, i try not to get involved, but he seems harmless. "i won't try to rob you, but i wish i had wings too," i say.
"fly to heaven. tell jesus i'm on my way. i spent 50 years livin satan's way, now i'm tryin to live a different way. i'm lookin forward to seein jesus an' i hope he has a seat for me in heaven."
"he's probably got a few for you."
"tryin to be a new person. the only way to win a fight is to not get in one. people start with me, i hold up a brick and they go runnin. i got three of em. these two and one more under the newspaper," he says, pointing to the pouch on the seatback. "i'm about to go to wendy's for some food. could you spare some change?"
while i could definitely spare some, i quite honestly don't have any on me. i shrug my shoulders and say, "sorry."
"god bless you. i really love wendy's."
title of this post inspired by "aqua teen hunger force"
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