Very close call to drinking, or 'Turning Lemons into Grape juice'
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 381
Very close call to drinking, or 'Turning Lemons into Grape juice'
(No pun intended, really).
I just had a really ugly incident where I was assaulted on the bus by a crazy woman. Granted, I probably shouldn't have been on that bus to begin with; it was rush-hour and I was going to go window-shopping in my 'old neighborhood' to kill some time before I met with a friend.
It was rush-hour (a stupid time to be on the bus anyway) and the bus was packed like a can of sardines. I was wedged between the back door and this woman who had some obvious mental issues as it was traveling along the freeway. I didn't want to be so close to the door so I asked her to move so I could move to another part of the bus. She heard me alright, but wouldn't budge so I pressed my arm lightly against hers to give her an extra hint. Then she said, in broken english, "You push me and I'll push you!" and she shoved me! What was worse about this was that so many people heard and saw this and no one did anything (that's Seatle passive-aggression for you). The bus was so crowded I couldn't get to the front to tell the driver and part of me really didn't want to cause a scene (part of the reason is that my ex-bf is a bus driver for the same company and I wouldn't want him to get wind of it).
Coincidentally I got off the bus at the same stop she did and once we were off the bus I told her that I should have called the police for what she did. Then she said "Where's your mommy little girl?" (I'm very small and sometimes mistaken for a child -usually only if seen from behind or from a distance) and then she walked off.
I was fuming mad, humiliated and enraged though I knew that calling the police wouldn't do anything- she disappeared pretty quickly and they probably would have shrugged it off anyway.
My old bar was right across the street, and I had a perfect excuse to go inside and drink away the whole thing. I walked over and stood outside the bar and called a friend while I contemplated going inside, watching the people in there as I talked to her. Then the whole scene inside the bar totally turned me off and I decided I wasn't going to let this situation change my sobriety, give me a deadly hang-over tomorrow or put me in a mush worse state than I already was. My friend had canceled our plans to watch a movie so I headed to the bus to go home and decided to get some ice cream on the way to my apartment.
Then, as if things couldn't get any more crazy, as I was on the next bus (which very few people were on and had plenty of free seats this time) this other crazy person, a smelly homeless guy, came and sat down right next to me of all the places he could have sat, trapping me inside.
It was very creepy and I asked him to move so I could move to another seat.
Luckily my stop was came soon and I headed to the store and bought a pint of Haagen Daz (Dulce de Leche) and now I am home.
I'm still pretty riled up, my back hurts a little but I don't want to drink.
What this whole situation HAS done however, is strengthen my resolve towards getting my driver's license again so I don't have to endure any more of these jarring episodes on public transit.
It's been far too long and I really can't add any more stress to my life than necessary. I've been putting off getting my license again for a looong time and I think I deserve to be independent and get behind the wheel now because I'm worth it.
So from now on I'm going to study HARD on the driver's guide and get ready to take the test.
As far as that woman goes, she's probably suffering and miserable enough as it is, so I'm just going to let it go.
So if anyone would like to help me out by sending little reminders to do my driving test home-work, that would be great!
Thanks SR for giving me a place to go and get stuff out instead of drink!
I just had a really ugly incident where I was assaulted on the bus by a crazy woman. Granted, I probably shouldn't have been on that bus to begin with; it was rush-hour and I was going to go window-shopping in my 'old neighborhood' to kill some time before I met with a friend.
It was rush-hour (a stupid time to be on the bus anyway) and the bus was packed like a can of sardines. I was wedged between the back door and this woman who had some obvious mental issues as it was traveling along the freeway. I didn't want to be so close to the door so I asked her to move so I could move to another part of the bus. She heard me alright, but wouldn't budge so I pressed my arm lightly against hers to give her an extra hint. Then she said, in broken english, "You push me and I'll push you!" and she shoved me! What was worse about this was that so many people heard and saw this and no one did anything (that's Seatle passive-aggression for you). The bus was so crowded I couldn't get to the front to tell the driver and part of me really didn't want to cause a scene (part of the reason is that my ex-bf is a bus driver for the same company and I wouldn't want him to get wind of it).
Coincidentally I got off the bus at the same stop she did and once we were off the bus I told her that I should have called the police for what she did. Then she said "Where's your mommy little girl?" (I'm very small and sometimes mistaken for a child -usually only if seen from behind or from a distance) and then she walked off.
I was fuming mad, humiliated and enraged though I knew that calling the police wouldn't do anything- she disappeared pretty quickly and they probably would have shrugged it off anyway.
My old bar was right across the street, and I had a perfect excuse to go inside and drink away the whole thing. I walked over and stood outside the bar and called a friend while I contemplated going inside, watching the people in there as I talked to her. Then the whole scene inside the bar totally turned me off and I decided I wasn't going to let this situation change my sobriety, give me a deadly hang-over tomorrow or put me in a mush worse state than I already was. My friend had canceled our plans to watch a movie so I headed to the bus to go home and decided to get some ice cream on the way to my apartment.
Then, as if things couldn't get any more crazy, as I was on the next bus (which very few people were on and had plenty of free seats this time) this other crazy person, a smelly homeless guy, came and sat down right next to me of all the places he could have sat, trapping me inside.
It was very creepy and I asked him to move so I could move to another seat.
Luckily my stop was came soon and I headed to the store and bought a pint of Haagen Daz (Dulce de Leche) and now I am home.
I'm still pretty riled up, my back hurts a little but I don't want to drink.
What this whole situation HAS done however, is strengthen my resolve towards getting my driver's license again so I don't have to endure any more of these jarring episodes on public transit.
It's been far too long and I really can't add any more stress to my life than necessary. I've been putting off getting my license again for a looong time and I think I deserve to be independent and get behind the wheel now because I'm worth it.
So from now on I'm going to study HARD on the driver's guide and get ready to take the test.
As far as that woman goes, she's probably suffering and miserable enough as it is, so I'm just going to let it go.
So if anyone would like to help me out by sending little reminders to do my driving test home-work, that would be great!
Thanks SR for giving me a place to go and get stuff out instead of drink!
Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Syracuse, NY
Posts: 331
Dude I am not laughing at the situation but i had a drunken large man sit on me for the entire 20 mins when i was on the Centro (the Syracuse bus service) The bus = Twlight Zone. I am glad you did not beat the hell out of these people or abuse the privilage to waste time drinking over it.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 381
Originally Posted by BKP 
Dude I am not laughing at the situation but i had a drunken large man sit on me for the entire 20 mins when i was on the Centro (the Syracuse bus service) The bus = Twlight Zone. I am glad you did not beat the hell out of these people or abuse the privilage to waste time drinking over it.
The buses here are pretty much like roving homeless shelters.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: MN
Posts: 528
Originally Posted by LaDita
Yeah, I hear you on the bus = Twilight Zone.
The buses here are pretty much like roving homeless shelters.
The buses here are pretty much like roving homeless shelters.
If I ever had to stay late at work it was always a crap shoot if I would sit next to someone that clearly hadn't showered in many days & comsumed rubbiing alcohol if I had to guess!
Glad all turned out well & you are here to tell us about it!
Attitude of Gratitude
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Dayton, Ohio
Posts: 2,305
I also ride the bus and could totally identify with your experiences.
I also seem to be a magnet for the crazed individuals out there!
Something I began doing a few years ago was sit on the outside seat. This way, no one can block me in and if someone tries to sit on the inside seat, I can get up before they even have a chance to sit down.
LaDita, I'm glad that when your friend cancelled, you got right back on the bus and went home. It's kinda hard though to get back on the bus when this is where the stress and anxiety started in the first place though, isn't it?
There are times when I have to get on a bus that I regularly don't ride in order to go to an appt and when I set foot on the bus, I feel like I've gotten on the bus for One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. I found that if I act crazier than anyone else, no one dares to bother me. I have conversations with empty seats behind me that have resulted in some strange looks but I was left alone.
I also seem to be a magnet for the crazed individuals out there!
Something I began doing a few years ago was sit on the outside seat. This way, no one can block me in and if someone tries to sit on the inside seat, I can get up before they even have a chance to sit down.
LaDita, I'm glad that when your friend cancelled, you got right back on the bus and went home. It's kinda hard though to get back on the bus when this is where the stress and anxiety started in the first place though, isn't it?
There are times when I have to get on a bus that I regularly don't ride in order to go to an appt and when I set foot on the bus, I feel like I've gotten on the bus for One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. I found that if I act crazier than anyone else, no one dares to bother me. I have conversations with empty seats behind me that have resulted in some strange looks but I was left alone.
You go, girl!
getting there
Join Date: May 2008
Location: USA
Posts: 1,314
Awesome job! I'm not sure I could have passed up such a perfect excuse to drink. Good idea to get your license, although driving in Seattle sucks! I won't take the bus in Portland, but I do take light-rail into work, it's a slightly more normal crowd.
Currently Active Users Viewing this Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
