Originally posted on by 'stack, slightly longer, I edited this down to just under 500 words. I love this idea. A collection of random acts of kindness. We need that now. We all do.
The 7 train is never empty and frequently home to crazy but harmless, subway preachers, or mariachi bands. Yesterday, a woman at the far end of the subway car jumped up and attacked the woman next to her. A girl — barely a teen — sitting with the woman being attacked, put herself between the two of them as best she could.
That woman’s anger flared up.
The train was full, but no one was doing anything.
Just this kid.
It shouldn’t be a kid’s responsibility to defend one adult from another. That’s what the village is for, so kids don't have to be grown-ups before their time. No one in our village was doing anything.
I walked over, locked eyes with them and said, in that tone reserved for old friends, “Maria, how are you? I haven’t seen you in like forever.” I leaned in, as if for a cheek kiss. The girl whispered “Thank you,” and greeted me enthusiastically, “Hi, hello.”
The angry woman plopped back down in her seat. “Ima sit here. Ima stay here, I don’t care who you got sitting with you.” She flicked her eyes at me, then glared at the silent woman.
The focus had shifted, the situation de-escalated.
I whispered I’d walk them off at the next stop. We left the angry woman behind, staring daggers at us.
Maybe there was a reason for the beef. Maybe it was just unfocused, crazy, and angry, like the woman on another train who’d screamed “Jews are eating kids,” then choked a nearby woman, while passengers just moved out of her way.
The why of any unfair balance of power attack, doesn’t matter to me.
On a different train, on a different day, a wiry, kinda sketchy, a dirty little man was harassing a young woman. She changed seats several times, finally moving to another car. I looked at the three men opposite me. One, well-muscled, in clothes meant to show that off, shrugged his shoulders and closed his eyes.
When the man started to follow the girl into the next car, there was a choice : follow or speak up. Loudly—my voice carries— from where I sat, ”Hey bud, it’s clear she’s not interested. Why don’t you just sit down and leave it alone?”
The three men just sat, their eyes closed or staring into space. The man forgot about the girl he’d been following and started harassing me, trying to get me to take the bait. He continued for stop after stop.
I hadn’t changed him, I’d interrupted the flow and shifted his attention, distracted him.
I wasn’t scared; I was disappointed in the other passengers, those men and a woman about my age. I’d thought she wouldn’t hesitate to be a second voice.
The young girl on the 7 train had thanked me as they walked safely away. She’d instinctively understood how the village worked in a way it seemed the rest of the adults in the car had forgotten.
Thanks for editing and sharing, Jodi. These are the caring acts of support that refill my heart.
When I edit this into an Anthology, I'll link to your article and call out this version here. Thank you!! And yes. We need to hear more of these acts of kindness. Feeding the good wolf...(you know that bad wolf good wolf story https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Wolves)
Love this theme, Victoria! I recently wrote an essay about the stranger who came to my rescue when I was stranded in an Indonesian airport all alone at 3 am. 30 years later, I still cherish her generosity. It’s a reminder that help is there - we just need to be open to it sometimes.
Thanks for sharing, Kirsten. What a wonderful woman to take you to her home. You trusted your gut and accepted the invitation. Yes, something of a metaphor about care-receiving in that.
Originally posted on by 'stack, slightly longer, I edited this down to just under 500 words. I love this idea. A collection of random acts of kindness. We need that now. We all do.
The 7 train is never empty and frequently home to crazy but harmless, subway preachers, or mariachi bands. Yesterday, a woman at the far end of the subway car jumped up and attacked the woman next to her. A girl — barely a teen — sitting with the woman being attacked, put herself between the two of them as best she could.
That woman’s anger flared up.
The train was full, but no one was doing anything.
Just this kid.
It shouldn’t be a kid’s responsibility to defend one adult from another. That’s what the village is for, so kids don't have to be grown-ups before their time. No one in our village was doing anything.
I walked over, locked eyes with them and said, in that tone reserved for old friends, “Maria, how are you? I haven’t seen you in like forever.” I leaned in, as if for a cheek kiss. The girl whispered “Thank you,” and greeted me enthusiastically, “Hi, hello.”
The angry woman plopped back down in her seat. “Ima sit here. Ima stay here, I don’t care who you got sitting with you.” She flicked her eyes at me, then glared at the silent woman.
The focus had shifted, the situation de-escalated.
I whispered I’d walk them off at the next stop. We left the angry woman behind, staring daggers at us.
Maybe there was a reason for the beef. Maybe it was just unfocused, crazy, and angry, like the woman on another train who’d screamed “Jews are eating kids,” then choked a nearby woman, while passengers just moved out of her way.
The why of any unfair balance of power attack, doesn’t matter to me.
On a different train, on a different day, a wiry, kinda sketchy, a dirty little man was harassing a young woman. She changed seats several times, finally moving to another car. I looked at the three men opposite me. One, well-muscled, in clothes meant to show that off, shrugged his shoulders and closed his eyes.
When the man started to follow the girl into the next car, there was a choice : follow or speak up. Loudly—my voice carries— from where I sat, ”Hey bud, it’s clear she’s not interested. Why don’t you just sit down and leave it alone?”
The three men just sat, their eyes closed or staring into space. The man forgot about the girl he’d been following and started harassing me, trying to get me to take the bait. He continued for stop after stop.
I hadn’t changed him, I’d interrupted the flow and shifted his attention, distracted him.
I wasn’t scared; I was disappointed in the other passengers, those men and a woman about my age. I’d thought she wouldn’t hesitate to be a second voice.
The young girl on the 7 train had thanked me as they walked safely away. She’d instinctively understood how the village worked in a way it seemed the rest of the adults in the car had forgotten.
Thanks for editing and sharing, Jodi. These are the caring acts of support that refill my heart.
When I edit this into an Anthology, I'll link to your article and call out this version here. Thank you!! And yes. We need to hear more of these acts of kindness. Feeding the good wolf...(you know that bad wolf good wolf story https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Wolves)
Love this theme, Victoria! I recently wrote an essay about the stranger who came to my rescue when I was stranded in an Indonesian airport all alone at 3 am. 30 years later, I still cherish her generosity. It’s a reminder that help is there - we just need to be open to it sometimes.
https://whogetsthechina.substack.com/p/receiving-random-acts-of-international
Thanks for sharing, Kirsten. What a wonderful woman to take you to her home. You trusted your gut and accepted the invitation. Yes, something of a metaphor about care-receiving in that.