Subway Encounter

I'm still dealing with pain issues from being hit by a car just before Christmas. The six broken ribs seem to have healed, but now pains in my back and the third of three MRIs reveal several herniated discs. 

But I am managing to get to some shows to review. Luckily it's a slow time before the pre-Tony onslaught of openings in the spring. On my way to the city to see the operatic version of Lynn Nottage's Intimate Apparel at Lincoln Center, I ran to catch the E train which was about to pull out of the station in Jackson Heights. I got into an empty car just as the doors were closing. Normally I would avoid such a situation because of the inevitable homeless person driving other riders away, but there was no choice. The doors closed and I was trapped in the car with the worst smelling derelict ever encountered. It was a bearded old man at the other end of the car surrounded by cast-off fast food wrappers and a foil blanket, stinking to high heaven. There was one other passenger who joined me as far away from the homeless guy as possible. We were stuck until the next express stop.

"I feel badly for them," my fellow traveller said, "but there really should be someplace for them to go."

"He's probably been living here for a few days," I responded.

"The shelters aren't safe. It's worse than being on the street I hear. The government should do something for them. They should help."

"It won't because people like Donald Trump think the government shouldn't help people."

"All politicians are the same. They're all corrupt and don't care about anybody."

Here is where we differed. I said, "No, you're wrong. Republicans are much, much worse than Democrats. They are not all the same...in my opinion. That's what I think. Republicans don't want to help anybody and are only interested in staying in power and lining their own pockets."

He didn't disagree.  We got to the next express stop, the doors opened, we ran to the next car, and parted ways.