The rain was still coming down from all directions. Winds of 30-50 mph blasting the streets, sides of buildings, the hopeless wandering the streets not giving a shit about the outcome of its damages. Along Atlantic Ave, walked a man in this twenties. Fighting against the elements just trying to get to that South Station pyramid for shelter as well as a means of getting back home.
journeyed down more and more steps finally coming to the platform of the Once arriving and not getting run over by drunks and lesser beings, he made his way down the steps to the underworld. Paying his $1.70 slave wage to be granted his ticket to hell, the Red Line.
With his mp3 player providing comforting sounds as an Ashmount train preached its arrival and departure he weighed it out with the crowd as the cold of dripping clothes started being a focus point on mind. Lucky for him, he didn't have to dwell on this cold hard fact for a bright light was shining in the distance. The rumbling of the train and the eeks of scattering rats from below informed a music blasting kid that his ride was here to pick him up.
Train stops. Doors open. Mass amounts of society poor out. He gets on. Takes a seat. Doors close.
First rule to a new surrounding, or really any surrounding in general like every corner you round, always look over the field. Notice who is where and try to pick up weakness and characteristics. Many trips on the Orange Line, as well as reading the Spider-Man Handbook, can tell you to look out for yourself and sometimes more importantly others, as the Spider-man Handbook would say it's what being a hero is all about.
He notices a guy sitting next to a girl across from him. Most people would probably would not think twice and continue to drift into their ritual when they rides these crates on wheels. But not I...or more importantly, not him.
The guy sitting across from him was about 55, 6-2, 230 pounds, plastic bag in hand filled with goods such as peanut butter and other common needs/wants. The women next to him, age 28ish, blonde, 5-10, and flipping through a catalog. Two seats over from her was another female. About 25, red hair, glasses, 5-5, and looking at her pictures on her digital camera.
Back to the "couple" in front of me...err our protagonist. The actions or jitters of his "fellow" was carrying out seemed like ones our hero had seen before. After viewing the presence of the young blonde sitting next to him seemed clear. They weren't together and she had no interest with the fellow in the seat next to hers. Our young hero hadn't witnessed what he assumed happen on those stops before he boarded at South Station but only assume something happened. And it was about to take place again.
Much like the song by the Goo Goo Dolls "Broadway" the line during the chorus "Broadway is dark tonight..." only rang in his hear has he watched this fellow get up from his seat next to the blonde, stumble over 6 seats and place himself one seat away from that red head. In an author's update of chiming into this story before it is over it seems to me that this guy attempt to talk to the blonde sitting next to her, probably getting the cold shoulder he attempted to prey on another young, and pretty, women. This time though, not to push his luck, leave an empty seat between the two of them.
Immediately the volume of the mp3 player in playing tunes for our hero went from 25 to 0 in a span of three seconds. In fact it probably was a world record with the way his finger kept pressing to lower the volume has quickly as possible. Other people might do this two when they want to ease drop on someone else's personal conversations but do so while leaving the headphones on so it still looks like your listening to your tunes, and not the augments, fights, drunks, cowboys, tourists, etc.
He watches from his seat watching what this fellow will do. And sure enough, he makes his move after a few moments of collecting himself, probably thinking of a "smart" way to make small talk. But lets be fair, these type of people that ride the trains and do this, much like those guys in bars, aren't good at it and make everyone feel weird.
The small talk starts to happen with the red head trying not to pay attention and keep asking what when he brings up another thing to say. Our lead star can't really hear much of what is being said from his position but judging from the body language, miss red isn't interested.
Now, it isn't any business at first for our hero. He thinks who is he to jump into something like that. Plus he figures that these things never seem to really last long and after a few moments of not responding, the fellow should give up. He watches from his seat and notices how the red head, despite wanting to talk to this guy still does in bits and pieces, mainly because she doesn't know what to do and would love for this fellow to go away but she doesn't feel she is strong enough to do so and have him take a hint and leave her alone. Staying that to him might make things worse, in her mind.
As our hero keeps a close eye as to what is going on he makes eye contact with red. Her look in her eyes had a combination of "help" and "i'm moving" as she also looked down the train, for what he assumed was a better seat to sit at. With that our eyes locked again, and the move was in play. She had swung her purse to her right side, as it had been near her lap and closer to the fellow. Then the fellow pulled the crown jem move, which as thee author has seen before mainly times and have given the classic "dear god no...not that." Our fellow had pulled out the last straw, he had pulled out his business card. The unholy of unholy red flags for anyone. Red knew it was time to go after the fellow was explaining his business and how it has his email, website, and phone number on it. Red gently smiled back at his guy and started to get up and walk to a new seat, leaving our fellow with business card in hand sitting there. Since our fellow friend probably wasn't the smartest guy around he did not get what just happened and proceeded to get up from his seat as well. As Red passed our hero with earphones still in ears they made eye contact, only to be broken from the reach of the fellow behind her yelling "wait" and attempting to grab her arm.
This is the story where the hero steps in, after watching from the stands, to save the day. Much like a kicker for a football game, they ride the bench, for the most part, and watch the game and warm up, waiting for their chance to help out and mainly times, in close, hard fought games and important games, such as the super bowl, with only 3 seconds left they come on to kick a must win field goal or they lose. Pressure to be a hero...just look up Scott Norwood for the sorrow or Adam Vinatieri for the victorious.
With the red head turning around at the yell of wait and seeing a fellow, business card in and hand and another with a grab coming at her, our hero jumps up from his seat to intercept and block this transaction. Our hero stands there, all while the train continues to speed home, to question the actions his fellow is taking. "What the hell do you think you are doing?" he asks. Before the fellow can even come up with a response, our hero rambles off another another rant to the guy, firing off and not holding back after watching the disgusting encounter that had taken place minutes before. "Huh? What are you doing. Just stop man, just stop. Go back to your seat. It is over. Leave her alone and just sit back down in your seat."
"But I just wanted to give her my card, we were only talking. Who are you to tell me what I can do?" Our fellow a scoundrel had reply.
At this point, most of the train car occupants have tuned into the drama and was watching it all unfold. Red had moved to a different seat but sitting at the edge to see the outcome of this stranger coming to her need.
"Listen buddy, you guys weren't talking, you were bothering her more than anything and I don't think she was appreciating your company. So why don't you just sit the fuck down and leave everyone alone." Our hero made it a point to stare into this fellow's eyes and give him a sign that he was serious. Granted our hero isn't much of a fighter, nor could, in all truths, taken on his guy if he wasn't some what drunk/crazy, but this guy didn't know that and the stare down was his weapon to say to his fellow, hey buddy, I'll do some damage to you and I'm completely serious and ready to go.
At this point the fellow returns to his sit. The hero looks around as people stare at him and at first he wonders what he did was right. But the nods and smiles of the few people around, especially the females, like the blonde, provide a sigh on relief.
He walks over to the new area were red is sitting. He just wants to make sure everything is ok and play it off like nothing happen. She thanks him and explains that at first she tought she could just ignore him but when she couldn't anymore and she got up to leave, with him trying to grab her, she was petrified. He told her he would stay close but it was probably over with. He asked her what stop she was getting off and her reply was Wollaston. With that he told her he would say near until the stop, just to make sure nothing else would happen.
The fellow kept looking down the train, in disgust. I would just be staring back. Figuring my time was done, I would ride it out just watching this guy until red got off the train.
The train pulled into the Wollaston and red got up to exit the train. She thanked the hero in the process but he told her his work didn't seem done as at that time he noticed the fellow gathering his things and getting ready to exit the train too. What would be the odds they get off at the same T stop? He asked her how she was getting home and she said her car was in the parking lot. He told her he would walk her over there just to make sure this fellow doesn't do anything funny. She knew he was suppose to be getting off at the next stop so she didn't want to ruin his trip home. He told her he didn't mind and would rather make sure she got to her car safe and worrying about it knowing they both got off at the same time. It wasn't sunny afternoon day, it was a Saturday night around 9pm.
The two exit the train and start heading towards the stairs. He tells red not to look back and just kept walking, leaving him to watch the fellow and his actions. He saw him get off the train and continue behind them. The fellow stops at the bus stop, looking through his bags while the hero escorts red to her car. Now out of harms way he says goodbye and apologizes for what happened and wanted to make sure she was alright before he left her. She thanked him with a hug and a kiss on the cheek and offered to give him a ride home. Our hero reply that she should just head home and pretend like nothing happened. He was just doing what he felt was right and with that she hugged him again, got into her car and exited the parking lot, home free.
The hero headed back to the T only to have to pass the bus stop with the fellow sitting there watching him. As our hero walked by, headphones in ear, with still no volume in case the fellow wanted to say something to him, he walked by with his head held high and before the fellow mouthed off a word to him our hero just stared him down as he passed and wandered up the stairs.
He paid his $1.70 and waited on the platform. from the view point he could see the bus stop and the fellow stared back.
The train pulled up blocking their sight.
Train stops. Doors open. scraps of society poor out. He gets on. Takes a seat. Doors close.
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