Oh New York...(by Lauren)

Silly little New York...or should I say the Bronx? Always an experience I tell you.

I was waiting for the bus last night for about 10-15 minutes and was quite annoyed it hadn't come. I hadn't had the best day: I went to see an asshole orthopedist who basically said nothing was wrong with me and as Scott says "made it sound like you were making it up" (see this article for some possible info why); then from E96th street, it took me over 2 hours to get to work (it should only take about 45 minutes) due to multiple train route changes (typical during summer construction) and because I got on the Bx32 going the wrong way, which I didnt realize until I had been on the bus for 15 minutes or so. I got to work with only 3 hours left and had to go directly to my 3.5 hour class. Needless to say, it was time to get home.

I finally saw the Bx9 coming. It didn't make it through the stop light before my stop. I waited...(im)patiently, and finally the light turned green. The bus didn't move. Instead, it opened its doors and let someone off. (Picture multiple cars honking angrily at this point.) Finally, the bus pulled through the intersection and up to my stop. The driver put his hand out as to not let anyone on, and allowed people to get off. Sometimes drivers do this so people don't get too greedy and start to get on before others leave the bus. But this guy didn't put his hand down. Instead, he turned his head to the seat behind and across from him and asked a man sitting there (who's back was against the window I was looking at) if he needed medical attention. Medical attention?? This is where I come in!...I think starting to switch into future-emergency-room-nurse mode. The man must have said yes and the driver made an announcement to the other people on the bus that this was the last stop and they had to get off. Then I hear the guy with his back to the window say onto his cell phone "My eye is bleeding all over!" Sure enough, he turned around and there was blood running down his face from his eye. He had blood on his hand and his shirt. I'm thinking Direct pressure! I should tell him to put direct pressure on it! Not that it was even gushing...but I wanted to be involved! Soon, the guy started yelling at the other passengers who were exiting the bus "Quickly! Quickly!" I thought this was going to cause a fight as the last passenger in line to exit the bus was a buff, short short wearing jock type who just stared the guy down as he yelled directly into his face.

Finally the last guy gets off the bus. All the passengers (and me) are crowded on the curb around the bus. (I was actually standing in the street as the bus was a few feet from the curb). The bleeding man steps up into the door way of the bus, a few feet above everyone, and starts yelling "FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! I am the man! You are nothing!!" This guy is so adament that his spit actually hits me in the face as he's yelling. (Then I got smart enough to step up onto the curb like everyone else, and I dropped my hero fantasy. I wasn't going to get involved with this one!) All this time he is still on his cell phone, still bleeding. At one point he said something to the crowd like "I would die for all of you!" or something psychotic like that.

Another Bx9 FINALLY pulled up behind the first bus and everyone hurried over to get a seat. The poor first bus driver was left alone with a possibly crazy or drugged-up man, though the driver seemed cool and collected as can be. I tried to listen to a lady who was telling the story of what happened but she was only speaking Spanish. Damn Spanish 6 didn't get me anywhere. Where are my Spanish skills when I need details like this?!? So I turned to the lady next to me and asked her what happened and all she said was "He got into a fight on the bus." How helpful and detail-oriented...NOT. But then I put it together. The person who got off the bus at the intersection before my stop must have been the other guy in the fight, and I would assume he was kicked off by driver.

I was shaking my head in wonder when we were about to pull up to my stop where I get off to go to go on the subway into Manhattan. THEN 2 ladies walk directly in front of the bus I was on and when the driver honked, they flicked him off! Apparently it was disgruntled bus driver night because the bus driver yelled out the window at this "THIS IS THE FUCKING BUS!"...as in, why are you walking right in front of this vehicle when you're holding up dozens of people from getting home. Jerks. I told the driver I sympathized with him and all other drivers that night, and he mumbled for me to take care.

Oh sigh, how New York amuses me. In other news, expect a blog from Mer soon. She's taken a brief leave of absence from blogging to deal with some not-so-fun personal stuff, but will return in great form ASAP!

The "Eye"-Witness,
~LB