Apathy - Part I

The homeless problem in Portland is getting out of hand. Just the other day I got on the MAX to go home when a group of homeless teens boarded with me. I have resorted to sitting up front near the conductor in the afternoons to avoid the rif-raf that take advantage of "Fairless Square". No luck today. They decide to sit in front of me. They have a pit bull puppy with them. Animals are not allowed on MAX unless contained, but something tells me they are not into rules. It is only 4:00 PM and already they are slurring their words. Immediately I notice a stench and I hold my breath to try to keep the contents of my stomach from coming up. I look around hurriedly for an escape. Damn! The train is full. I bury my head back into my book and resume to holding my breath.

It gets worse. The guy has a large hole in his earlobe with a pencil pushed through. It is red and looks infected. Soon he removes the pencil to expose the hole and now I am looking straight through to the other side. Gross! All of a sudden his girlfriend starts picking at the wound. Oh my God! The puss begins to ooze, and, wait--she has found a pimple on his neck. She decides to pick at that, too. I am really in a panic now. I try to look away, but it is like a train wreck. Concerned for my safety, I have lost all concentration and put my book down. She is showing him the "juice". The train is even more crowded now and I cannot get away. As we come across the bridge to the next stop, I could hardly believe what happened next. He has now removed his shirt and she has begin picking the pimples on his back!!!! That was about all I could handle. I was off at the next stop.

I took out my cell phone to call a ride. Of course I could not find anyone to pick me up. My mother was at the mall and my husband was more than 45 minutes away. I could not bear the thought of getting back on the next train. So I started to walk. Just a few blocks away was a new bar. My plan was to stop there, enjoy a beer, and wait for someone to come get me. I needed a drink bad. Unfortunately, I wore heels and a suit that day. After four blocks I arrived at the new bar. It was closed and my feet were beginning to throb. Feeling absolutely defeated, I gave in and walked across the street to the nearby MAX station. I had no choice but to get back on. I still had a mile or more to go, mostly uphill. I would not make it on my own.

I was so mad! I pay $30 a month to ride that damn train. I get my butt out of bed everyday, to go to work to make that $30. And these damn people, they get on the train with no regard for anyone else. They smell bad. They have their dog on the train. They are disrespectful. They don't pay. And I am the one that has to get off and walk? "Fairless Square" is a nice convenience, but I would support doing away with it in order to stop subsidizing transportation for the homeless. Everyone else has to pay, including the welfare people, so what should make them any different? I just don't really feel like it is my problem. Nor do I care!