Fistacuffs / Friday.1

So there I was, standing, fists up, waiting for him to make the next move………

Went to my third job fair this summer looking for that j.o.b. It was @ Soldiers Field, and because I hate driving in the Loop @ that h., I decided to park near the El and take that in. Last week I’d gotten used to parking near the Western stop on the Midway line; but the drive @ rush back sucked, so I wanted that leg of the trip shortened on this day. Parked near a park/near the 95th terminal, and took that in.

Note to self: Next time on the El, just read.

Teenager came on and spat on the ground, and instinctively my face registered disgust. Mistake.
“What? What ? Fuck you , white trash. What are you gonna do? Fuck You!!”

Great, but I had to say “Shut up. I’m not interested.”

“Fuck you, I’m gonna kick yo’ ass, white trash.”

I maybe should have said something about that although I do come from a long line of country folk, my four degrees and interestes as diverse as architecture and the work of Marx maybe invalidated his claim to my class, but what came out was “Just be fucking quiet,man”

If this guy was ten times taller or whatever else, I probably would not have blathered on. But I realized that I had 40 lbs. on this guy and had been looking him in the eye the whole time, not giving my true fey nature away in the looming battle.

“I’m getting off @ 35th, and if your still on, I’m gonna beat your ass. Man, I’m gonna ………" on and on the whole ride down.

I wasn’t gonna respond anymore, just get ready to see if he was gonna go for it. He’d called out earlier to someone else on the El, trying to intimidate me into thinking there was more than one of him, but I got the feeling this guy was gonna be in it by himself. However, I’d read in a book on forts that dogs, when outnumbered, will fite from a corner- the easier to fend off many blows. So I determined to stand behind a seat, so @ least to give him/them less room to get @ me. Another preparation was to get my keys into my fist to make an ugly punching tool- classic self defense technique.

On came 47th, and he made a move up, mouthing @ me. He was by himself. I thought to put my self in the best fiting position, so I stood up, fists ready, looking @ him; warily attempting to look like wearily. All systems gay. And he left off the El. So, I get to pay the macho man- I was ready- but get to not have been in a fite.

Note to self: Next time on the El, just read.

I have been in dangerous spaces about the city before. The two worst were near the 95th terminal, and neither include that time there was a BOOM BOOM BOOM followed by three guys running straight by me in the station clutching their waistbands. Ish.

First one: there was a Harold’s two blocks away from the 95th terminal years back-gone now . Since sometimes my bus didn’t run out of the 95th terminal to my ‘hood for 20m or more, I often would run over to the Harolds, order some chicken, wait the 15m, then hop on my bus @ the stop rite outside the Harold’s. Once I had my hot chixx and was waiting for the #112 bus when a real scarey gangster looking dude walked into the Harolds to get his supper and was yelling @ me to better not be there when he got out. Stupidly, I waited………

……..till the #112 came, hopped on, and felt like a kool guy for holding my ground. I would have had the hell beaten out of me that nite, I know for sure.
And sometimes I back down.

Second one: My bus, the #112, stops running from the 95th station to my ‘hood between 0010h and 0400h. If it’s really late, I used to time my getting down to 95th to coincide with the first bus in the morning- what, being awake 430am is unnatural to me? So, I’ve spent a lot of 3.35am mornings waiting @ the 95th terminal.

One cold dark morning, a guy asked me for the horoscopes from my newspapers as I was standing rite outside the terminal. I told him I didn’t have them, or something in good faith like that, I can no longer remember, and he got angry @ me. As he walked away, I THEN snidely said something about Did he wish to read any of the other papers I was holding? He turned, swatted down the papers , and got in my face.

Note to self: Next time on the El, just read.

I immediately walked away into the terminal, putting up my hands and saying “allright, allright” . Any attempt to stand in these latter two situations would have resulted me being in big trouble. Todays wasn’t that bad, but anytime one has to ’fist up’it gets the blood going.