Show Mom a little respect, please
As soon as we leave the Red Line tunnel, a petulant, spoiled, overprotected man-boy of about 19 starts yelling at his mom on the phone. He's pale, thin and agitated, and biting his nails like a Rhesus monkey.
"Well, the reason I couldn't talk to you is because we were in the tunnel. Mother listen, this is what you are going to do for me: You are going to pick me up at Howard and then drive me to Hyde Park.
"Sorry, but I don't want to get involved in your family drama right now. No, I don't know how many stops to Howard because there are no maps on this train car."
Then he starts wandering the car looking for a map as other riders shake their head and cluck at how could someone treat their mom like that. But then, we haven't had to live with her for 19 years now, have we? Not sure who is worse off....
Hold up, he was travelling north to Howard so mumsy could drive his ass all the way back south to HP? Call me paranoid, but I'll bet you any amount of money it's because, besides being an overprivledged little spaz, he's terrified at the thought of waiting for a 55 on the Dan Ryan overpass. Or while he doesn't know enough about city transit to even be aware of the 55, he's just plain petrified of traversing that sea of horrible brown people between the downtown and Hyde Park.
Posted by: juris | October 03, 2006 at 08:21 AM
Or he could go south into downtown and grab a number 10 bus. That way he could avoid standing on the Ryan overpass.
Posted by: Cheryl | October 03, 2006 at 10:15 AM
Juris, that's totally it.
Posted by: Tim | October 03, 2006 at 03:57 PM
A few years after moving from Hyde Park to be closer to work, I met this guy who, despite living in south Kenwood his entire life, had never set foot in the area from 47th street to the south loop and the lake to Cottage Grove. That area was "dangerous" after all. He even got agitated one night while a friend and I were driving him home. When we missed the 55th street exit, he pleaded with us to drive all the way around to McCormick Place and up LSD in order to get back to Hyde Park.
He was white, about 18 or 20. He'd attended the U of C Lab School, not Kenwood, which he avoided at all costs. Must have been a pain since he lived three blocks away. He even had the audacity to try and lecture some of us on various liberal talking points, while failing to acknowledge his own deep seated racism.
The idiot in Kevin's post sounds like this guy's doppelganger...
Posted by: juris | October 03, 2006 at 04:25 PM