Strange evening commute tonight where something happened that I can't
quite wrap my head around and know what actually did happen. I'll try
and relate the events as they unfolded, and perhaps you can decide.
Left work around 6:30 and started my commute home. As I had taken the #20 Madison bus into work in the morning, I ended up taking the Green line home. That's usually how it works... I rarely use the same means of transportation twice in the same day for the morning & evening commute. It's nice to get the change of scenery each way.
I had my iPhone earbuds in, the ones that lost any bass whatsoever a couple weeks ago and seem to be losing more and more juice as time goes on. It's almost like listening to music through a tin can... I should really go and get new headphones.
I had a Blackhawks playlist spinning. I was playing "I Want to Ride the Zamboni" for my coworkers before I left, so I just kept it rolling as I made my way over to the State & Lake El stop. It wasn't more than a couple minutes a Green line train came by and I got on.
The train was empty... only a handful of people spread out around the car. Normally I end up standing for the short train ride home, but with the ample amount of vacant seats I dropped down into one facing opposite of the opening & closing doors. A bass-less rendition of Rock You Like a Hurricane played in my ears.
Next stop at Clark & Lake, a few more people got on the train. Four kids, early to mid teens perhaps, got on and walked passed me to a cluster of open seats not far from me. One of the kids stepped on my right foot, he looked at me and apologized somewhat sincerely and kept walking.
They were a little rambunctious, all looking out the window as we crossed the bridge over the Chicago River. I couldn't hear everything they were saying as I still had my earbuds in, but from the laughter it seemed like they were having a good time. Then at the Clinton stop, the Blackhawk playlist had ended, so I took my iPhone out and started flipping through the music looking for something to finish the commute with for the rest of the way home.
It's about a two or three minute trip between Clinton and Ashland, if that. The Green Line moves west, elevated over Lake Street, over the Kennedy Expressway and through the Fulton Market District towards my stop at Ashland & Lake. It was along this stretch of track that things took a strange turn.
A man came up to me and tapped my arm. I removed an earbud to hear what he had to say, and he told me "Can you please put that away?", referring to my iPhone. I scrunched my eyes at him and asked "What...?" in return. "You want to put that away. These kids are casing it." Now, not being more than six feet from the group of kids, some of which were looking in my direction and could probably hear what this guy was saying, I suddenly had a complete feeling of confusion.
I've taken the CTA for as long as I can remember, and almost every day for the passed 12 years back and forth to work. I can honestly say I've never had any trouble whatsoever. I've taken the train home in the early hours of the morning on occassion and nothing ever happened, let alone at quarter to seven on a bright sunny evening.
That's not to say I don't know people who have had trouble. I'm not that naive. I've known several people who have been mugged, have had bodily harm done to them or lost personal property. It happens. But there just didn't seem anything remotely like that about to happen here. One of the kids apologized for stepping on my foot for chrissake. They seemed like good kids to me.
But then I noticed, I was sitting a few steps from the door. Three of the kids were across from me to the left, and one of the kids had moved to the opposite side to the right. I could easily see there could be an opportunity at the next stop that a quick snatch from my hand, or perhaps a blow to the head followed by a grab of the device as the doors opened could make for an easy getaway. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility.
But still, I didn't pick up anything to believe this guy. No idea who he was. Perhaps he heard something I didn't. Perhaps he had a different read on the situation and did me a huge favor. Perhaps he was an off-duty cop doing his job on his own time. Perhaps he was a racist suburbanite who has watched too many cops & detective shows on tv ("casing" my iPhone? Really?). Perhaps he was sticking his nose into where it didn't belong.
Whatever his reasons may have been, the train rolled into the Ashland station and I got up from my seat, put the iPhone in my pocket, and walked out the door without saying a word to him or the kids, who I could tell weren't happy with this guy (or the situation, whatever the reason may be). As I walked out, I heard the kids groaning something or other, and then I heard the guy telling them to get off the train. Part of me wanted to turn around and see what was about to happen. Did I just leave this guy high & dry, a guy who may or may not have just done me a huge favor, now he's stuck in the train with these four kids he just accused of planning a larceny? Or was I right about my original assessment, and these were good kids and were now giving this guy a piece of their mind?
I walked through the turnstyles and down the stairs, and noticed the train wasn't leaving the station. Usually trains are on their way by the time I reach the bottom of the stairs at street level, but this one was staying put. I wondered what was going on up there. But I kept walking. Minding my own damn business.
I was across Lake street when the train finally started moving. I wonder what happened aboard as it continued west toward Oak Park. I guess I'll never know.
I had my iPhone earbuds in, the ones that lost any bass whatsoever a couple weeks ago and seem to be losing more and more juice as time goes on. It's almost like listening to music through a tin can... I should really go and get new headphones.
I had a Blackhawks playlist spinning. I was playing "I Want to Ride the Zamboni" for my coworkers before I left, so I just kept it rolling as I made my way over to the State & Lake El stop. It wasn't more than a couple minutes a Green line train came by and I got on.
The train was empty... only a handful of people spread out around the car. Normally I end up standing for the short train ride home, but with the ample amount of vacant seats I dropped down into one facing opposite of the opening & closing doors. A bass-less rendition of Rock You Like a Hurricane played in my ears.
Next stop at Clark & Lake, a few more people got on the train. Four kids, early to mid teens perhaps, got on and walked passed me to a cluster of open seats not far from me. One of the kids stepped on my right foot, he looked at me and apologized somewhat sincerely and kept walking.
They were a little rambunctious, all looking out the window as we crossed the bridge over the Chicago River. I couldn't hear everything they were saying as I still had my earbuds in, but from the laughter it seemed like they were having a good time. Then at the Clinton stop, the Blackhawk playlist had ended, so I took my iPhone out and started flipping through the music looking for something to finish the commute with for the rest of the way home.
It's about a two or three minute trip between Clinton and Ashland, if that. The Green Line moves west, elevated over Lake Street, over the Kennedy Expressway and through the Fulton Market District towards my stop at Ashland & Lake. It was along this stretch of track that things took a strange turn.
A man came up to me and tapped my arm. I removed an earbud to hear what he had to say, and he told me "Can you please put that away?", referring to my iPhone. I scrunched my eyes at him and asked "What...?" in return. "You want to put that away. These kids are casing it." Now, not being more than six feet from the group of kids, some of which were looking in my direction and could probably hear what this guy was saying, I suddenly had a complete feeling of confusion.
I've taken the CTA for as long as I can remember, and almost every day for the passed 12 years back and forth to work. I can honestly say I've never had any trouble whatsoever. I've taken the train home in the early hours of the morning on occassion and nothing ever happened, let alone at quarter to seven on a bright sunny evening.
That's not to say I don't know people who have had trouble. I'm not that naive. I've known several people who have been mugged, have had bodily harm done to them or lost personal property. It happens. But there just didn't seem anything remotely like that about to happen here. One of the kids apologized for stepping on my foot for chrissake. They seemed like good kids to me.
But then I noticed, I was sitting a few steps from the door. Three of the kids were across from me to the left, and one of the kids had moved to the opposite side to the right. I could easily see there could be an opportunity at the next stop that a quick snatch from my hand, or perhaps a blow to the head followed by a grab of the device as the doors opened could make for an easy getaway. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility.
But still, I didn't pick up anything to believe this guy. No idea who he was. Perhaps he heard something I didn't. Perhaps he had a different read on the situation and did me a huge favor. Perhaps he was an off-duty cop doing his job on his own time. Perhaps he was a racist suburbanite who has watched too many cops & detective shows on tv ("casing" my iPhone? Really?). Perhaps he was sticking his nose into where it didn't belong.
Whatever his reasons may have been, the train rolled into the Ashland station and I got up from my seat, put the iPhone in my pocket, and walked out the door without saying a word to him or the kids, who I could tell weren't happy with this guy (or the situation, whatever the reason may be). As I walked out, I heard the kids groaning something or other, and then I heard the guy telling them to get off the train. Part of me wanted to turn around and see what was about to happen. Did I just leave this guy high & dry, a guy who may or may not have just done me a huge favor, now he's stuck in the train with these four kids he just accused of planning a larceny? Or was I right about my original assessment, and these were good kids and were now giving this guy a piece of their mind?
I walked through the turnstyles and down the stairs, and noticed the train wasn't leaving the station. Usually trains are on their way by the time I reach the bottom of the stairs at street level, but this one was staying put. I wondered what was going on up there. But I kept walking. Minding my own damn business.
I was across Lake street when the train finally started moving. I wonder what happened aboard as it continued west toward Oak Park. I guess I'll never know.