Episode 36: Wheelchair People
An excerpt from an e-mail sent to Tom Jordan detailing one of those little moments on the train that just make you realize the world is filled with all kinds of people: good, bad, ignorant, stange…
Someday I’ll write a story that incorporates this guy. I feel I’m obligated.
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Like today on the train. A guy in a wheelchair gets on and, as we approach the next stop an older guy (using a business suit to disguise his true arsehole identity) is waiting to get off, standing next to the guy in the wheelchair. He starts talking to the conductor:
Arse: “You get a lot of wheelchair people on this train?”
Conductor: “Occasionally.”
Arse: “Seems like wheelchair people would kind of mess with the schedule; seein’s how it takes longer for them to get on and off the train.”
Conductor: Shrugs.
Arse: “How many wheelchair people can you fit on this train?”
Conductor: “Some of the seats fold up. We can accommodate up to six passengers in this car.”
Arse: “Six wheelchair people, huh? That’s a lot! Seems like they’d take up more space than that.”
Conductor: Shrugs and prepares to operate the doors…
The whole time this poor paraplegic guy is sitting right next to the Arse and the Arse is talking like he’s not even there. Like he’s a dog or something. He just sort of looked sheepishly at everyone else in the car; like “There’s one in every crowd.” You could tell he was embarrassed.
I almost said something. But I’m a coward when it comes to defending strangers. Especially wheelchair people.
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