I’ve seen strange things on the Red Line. That’s why I started writing Subway Stories. The kid running while brandishing a machete in the train station is something I will never forget.
Manspreading is something that I’ve noticed and been annoyed by. Apparently the term is so common, that just this month it was added to OxfordDictionaries.com.
Well, my commute got even more uncomfortable this week. There are some things that really should be done in the privacy of your own home. There are some things you really don’t expect to see happening right next to you when you’re on the train. A woman injecting herself with a needle is one of them.
It was Friday evening and I had gotten out of work a little on the early side. The train wasn’t that crowded. I walked over to stand by a pole and then the woman sitting in front of me jumped up and rushed to the door. Apparently, she didn’t realize she was at South Station and needed to get out. She didn’t make it and the doors closed right in front of her.
I was just happy that an empty seat had suddenly appeared. I sat down, pulled out my book and started reading.
Then either the next stop or the one after that, the woman sitting to my left shifted to get up. But instead of getting up, she reached into her bag and pulled out a needle.
I looked at her and she didn’t look crazy, drunk or strung out, so I didn’t jump away from her. I hoped I was reading her correctly and that she would not stab me with it. I thought about that show What Would You Do? and hoped for the best.
Apparently, what I would do is not say or do anything. She started preparing her needle and injected herself in the shoulder that was farthest away from me. She put the cover back on the needle and put it away. Then settled back in her seat as if nothing had happened.
Maybe she was diabetic and needed insulin? An EpiPen probably would have been injected in her thigh. I cannot possibly imagine another reason why someone would need to self-inject on the train. Do you?
