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Assume the Position
May. 4th, 2006 12:26 pm"Get out of the way!" the #41 bus driver is shouting at me from the little side window on his left. He taps the horn once, twice and on the third he holds it down for a few seconds. But I don't care. I'm standing in front of the bus with my arms opened up in the form of the cross, the sign of Osiris Slain for you Thelemites and even dropping the old 'Who will help a poor widow's son' code just in case any freemasons ride the 9:34 out of Medical Center Station.
"I can't let you on!" The driver yells at me. Though his voice is deep, it resonates with an island accent that almost makes it melodic.
"Why?" I say, not dropping my arms, watching cabs and shuttle buses drive around the stalled #41. From the corner of my eye I glimpse a few commuters shooting me the bird, punching their horn and mouthing curses at me from the rolled up window.
"You can't catch the bus here! I'm not allowed to let you on." There's real emotion in his voice; there's nothing he can do, it's out of his hands which he emphasizes by imploring with them at me frantically.
Too bad, because right now I don't really give a fuck anymore.
"I'm sorry sir, I really am..." I shout back, "but it's not my fault that the #2 was ten minutes late this morning. It's not my fault that the gates at North Avenue Station didn't work and I just missed the North Springs Train by less than a minute and it sure isn't my fault that the next train was stalled for ten minutes in front of Lindbergh." I realize i'm not shouting now, hell i'm not yelling, i'm straight up screaming this at him and my voice echos down the hill to the Medical Center Station and I can see it in the commuters looking up at me.
"Please sir..."
"No. Let me on or run me over."
You see when the train finally arrived, I sprinted out and ran for the bus. When I was a few yards away he shut the doors on me and drove off. Normally that would be that, but I was super pissed now! Pissed off at a level of bureaucratic incomptence that had now turned into pure contempt for the riding public. I don't know why I did what I did next. I wasn't thinking. It was all gut and animal drive when I started sprinting after the bus. I got lucky because the drive got caught by the red light up on the driveway that leads to Dunwoody. I caught up quick and knocked on the door of the bus. He ignored me. I knocked louder and now the driver just shook his head 'no' without looking at me.
That's when I stepped in front of the bus and pulled my Jesus routine. In truth i've only done this once before, two years ago with the #124 leaving Doraville station. But that time I had a small mob of fellow commuters to join me and toghether we surronded the bus until the driver capitulated and let us all on. This time I was on my own.
But not for long.
A MARTA cop car pulls up next to me, the window rolls down and the officer looks like J.J.'s dad from 'Good Times'.
"What are you doing?" He barks.
"Trying to catch the bus, sir." I say not budging.
"He won't let me move..." The driver chimes in "...you need to arrest him!"
'Welp, that's that' I think to myself, already trying to figure out who my one phone call will be too and how i'm going to explain this to my boss, my parents and my best friend (whom most likely i'll be asking to bail me out of lock up ASAP).
And yet I won't budge.
"What's your problem son?" Officer J.J.'s Dad barks at me.
"I will not be punished because the # 2 was late, the Gate was busted and the NorthSprings sat on the tracks for ten minutes. It's not fair and i'm not just going to take it...sir."
J.J.'s Dad just looks at me. I'm braced for it. I'm ready to have the cuffs slapped on my wrists and be put in the back of the squad car. A great wave of both sadness and resignation sweep over me. But i've drawn a line: Fuck Fate, Fuck the Gods, Fuck my Luck and most of all fuck MARTA...
"Just let 'em on!" J.J.'s Dad says suddenly, and both the driver and I turn and look at him in shock and then back at each other. I shrug at the driver and he opens the door with a mechanized hiss that sounds as sweet as a sigh from a lovers lips.
Finally I get off my cross and get on the bus.
"I can't let you on!" The driver yells at me. Though his voice is deep, it resonates with an island accent that almost makes it melodic.
"Why?" I say, not dropping my arms, watching cabs and shuttle buses drive around the stalled #41. From the corner of my eye I glimpse a few commuters shooting me the bird, punching their horn and mouthing curses at me from the rolled up window.
"You can't catch the bus here! I'm not allowed to let you on." There's real emotion in his voice; there's nothing he can do, it's out of his hands which he emphasizes by imploring with them at me frantically.
Too bad, because right now I don't really give a fuck anymore.
"I'm sorry sir, I really am..." I shout back, "but it's not my fault that the #2 was ten minutes late this morning. It's not my fault that the gates at North Avenue Station didn't work and I just missed the North Springs Train by less than a minute and it sure isn't my fault that the next train was stalled for ten minutes in front of Lindbergh." I realize i'm not shouting now, hell i'm not yelling, i'm straight up screaming this at him and my voice echos down the hill to the Medical Center Station and I can see it in the commuters looking up at me.
"Please sir..."
"No. Let me on or run me over."
You see when the train finally arrived, I sprinted out and ran for the bus. When I was a few yards away he shut the doors on me and drove off. Normally that would be that, but I was super pissed now! Pissed off at a level of bureaucratic incomptence that had now turned into pure contempt for the riding public. I don't know why I did what I did next. I wasn't thinking. It was all gut and animal drive when I started sprinting after the bus. I got lucky because the drive got caught by the red light up on the driveway that leads to Dunwoody. I caught up quick and knocked on the door of the bus. He ignored me. I knocked louder and now the driver just shook his head 'no' without looking at me.
That's when I stepped in front of the bus and pulled my Jesus routine. In truth i've only done this once before, two years ago with the #124 leaving Doraville station. But that time I had a small mob of fellow commuters to join me and toghether we surronded the bus until the driver capitulated and let us all on. This time I was on my own.
But not for long.
A MARTA cop car pulls up next to me, the window rolls down and the officer looks like J.J.'s dad from 'Good Times'.
"What are you doing?" He barks.
"Trying to catch the bus, sir." I say not budging.
"He won't let me move..." The driver chimes in "...you need to arrest him!"
'Welp, that's that' I think to myself, already trying to figure out who my one phone call will be too and how i'm going to explain this to my boss, my parents and my best friend (whom most likely i'll be asking to bail me out of lock up ASAP).
And yet I won't budge.
"What's your problem son?" Officer J.J.'s Dad barks at me.
"I will not be punished because the # 2 was late, the Gate was busted and the NorthSprings sat on the tracks for ten minutes. It's not fair and i'm not just going to take it...sir."
J.J.'s Dad just looks at me. I'm braced for it. I'm ready to have the cuffs slapped on my wrists and be put in the back of the squad car. A great wave of both sadness and resignation sweep over me. But i've drawn a line: Fuck Fate, Fuck the Gods, Fuck my Luck and most of all fuck MARTA...
"Just let 'em on!" J.J.'s Dad says suddenly, and both the driver and I turn and look at him in shock and then back at each other. I shrug at the driver and he opens the door with a mechanized hiss that sounds as sweet as a sigh from a lovers lips.
Finally I get off my cross and get on the bus.
