Ms. Cranky was riding down from the hallowed Adirondack Mountains where she goes to a Writer’s Retreat each year. She was still in a wonderful mood and determined to hold onto it. She had decided that when she got home, she wouldn’t check email or phone messages for a few days. She would try to stay in this wonderful, as she imagined it to be, ‘Zen-like’ mode.
In the last few years coming out of the Adirondacks, Ms. Cranky has gotten a ride to the train station in Albany from her cabin-mate, Jane and that gives them time to talk as Jane uses her time in the mountains to truly write because she has a full time job at home and not much time for writing. Ms. Cranky’s myriad of part time jobs, however, are ‘fluffier’ than her cabin-mate’s and don’t really interfere with her writing.
So, they were riding along chatting away when, out of nowhere and in a road repair area with Jane going exactly as fast as she was allowed to drive according to the signs came this guy in a black SUV (thanks for contributing to our warm air, buddy boy) and he rode on the tail of Jane’s car (and, Jane is a calm type compared to Ms. C. but even she got upset). This jerk generally terrorized us for several miles and when we finally got out of the repair zone, he made it a point to ZOOM fast around us, pass us in the right lane and look over and gloat in our direction. Ms. Cranky hollered a few unsacred, not Adirondacky, words at this bozo and slowly it seeped in what might be ahead for her in the so-called ‘real world.’
Ms. Cranky bid her lovely cabin-mate goodbye at the Albany Amtrak station, a place she loves, a beautiful bright new train station. And, she was, once again, in a lovely what-she-thinks-is a Zen mountain mood when she got directions from a very attractive and affable conductor and boarded the train.
Cranky admits to carrying a lot and she was just starting down the aisle with a myriad of bags and pulling a suitcase when this lovely-‘looking’ mature couple came in through the side door. They actually had gray and white hair, he even looked distinguished but, just as Cranky was starting to walk down the aisle to get a seat, they cut her off, did a ‘vee’ formation (ala subway behavior) and traipsed up the aisle ahead of her!
Was Cranky suddenly invisible? She might have been very slightly slimmer from all her walking and swimming but she was 5 6/12 and not exactly teeny, if you get her drift.
Then, to add to her upset, as Cranky followed behind these people, the man with white hair, stood and stood and stood some more blocking the aisle, trying to decide where to put his bags, talking to the woman, all smiling. They must not have been married, Cranky surmised, as he seemed to be really trying to impress her. But, he was not impressing Ms. Cranky and, in fact, looked at her waiting with all her bags held aloft and totally ignored her a few more times!
Cranky was just about SNORTING by now. Perhaps, she truly was invisible. Maybe something weird had happened up in the mountains. But, mostly she was hurt and surprised. This was only Albany but, as she thought about it later, they were heading to New York. They might, she feared, be ‘New Yorkers.’ Welcome back, Ms. Cranky. Welcome back to being ignored and demeaned.
Cranky would like to re-live this whole incident over again but she was in too good a mood at the time and taken off guard. In hindsight, Cranky’d love to have said when the man and woman vee-ed in front of her, then clogged up the aisles like, forever --- “Hey, I’m here too and I was just starting to go down the aisle. Can you really not see me??? Or, are you just pompous idiots?”
It was just a ‘little murder’ of the soul but little murders add up. And, besides, and this is very hard to say, the ‘couple’ got the last good window for Ms. Cranky’s favorite train trip, along the Hudson. Cranky’s window was a mere slit but sometimes she ventured back to the other train car and found a free seat next to a full window. She might have been hurt and ignored but she couldn’t let this time and the lovely view go, no never, first things first!
Hey, thanks, as always, for stopping by. It’s good to be home. Ms. Cranky loves our city and her borough but some rude behaviors get to her. Her neighborhood was delightful to see again. Her ‘morning’ glories across from the subway exit were out at night. The air had, thankfully, cooled the last few days and her cat was waiting for her by the door.
What more could one want? --- A brilliant Writer’s Retreat in the beauty of the majestic mountains and morning glories at night?
Well, a little thoughtfulness added in would be nice, especially, on the part of a middle-aged couple who should have known better.
Come again. Ms. C., July 24, 2012
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