The Subway Ride

It’s a stereotype that New Yorkers mind their own business, stick their noses into the Daily News, and pay no attention to what’s going on on the other side of the subway car. It’s not true. They are very aware of what’s going on and nervously waiting to see if the infection will spread to their area of the car.

It takes a lot of bravery for one person to stand up against a group of thugs. The wild bunch got on at Times Square and are riding up to 241st Street. It’s going to be a long ride. Especially when they are harassing a young woman in the far corner of the car; of course, the Transit Police or NYC’s Finest are nowhere to be seen.

That was the setting one Sunday morning while I was heading home from a gig in the Village. It was about three o’clock, and no one who didn’t have a good reason to travel the old IRT Line was on the train. Anyone with a normal schedule was at home in bed for at least another two or three hours.

But the wild bunch was busy trying to sweet talk a young woman, and when sweet talk failed, they resorted to more physical means of focusing her attention on them. It was then that a frail-looking old man got up and politely asked them to leave the girl alone. “Get the F away, Grandpa, you’ll get hurt!”

The older man paid no attention but continued politely asking that they please leave the girl alone. One of the toughs casually reached out and flat handidly shoved at the old man. The older man seemed to twist sideways, took the wrist, twisted, levered, and bent. The young man was on the deck crying in pain, holding his hand. Wasting no time, the old man stomped the foot of another tough, fisted the next in the temple. And kicked the knee out from under another. When the train stopped, the idiots fled. The old man returned to his seat, and everyone buried their noses deeper into what they were reading. It was so quiet that the smallest of sneezes would have sounded loud. A Transit police officer poked his nose into the car and then left.

It’s been many years since I left New York, but one thing is sure. There are no sure bets on the subway. Most people will look elsewhere, with a gang, but please note that the old Karate sensei peacefully requested that they leave the woman alone. Only when they attacked him did he defend himself. Sometimes, the aggressor is not in control of the situation, but the defender is. As Sun Tzu says, “He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not will be victorious.”

I remember this incident whenever the easy path is to ignore the situation. After all, I was one of the people who buried my nose in my copy of the paper.

Daily writing prompt

Write about a time when you didn’t take action but wish you had. What would you do differently?

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