Film at 11!

Seeing as how I get to ride the Fitchburg line with my compatriot here, I sometimes get to experience these Commutants as well...

We were headed down the escalator at Porter to the Red line from the commuter rail where we saw a lady (also riding the escalator) watching a portable DVD player, completely oblivious to the rest of the world.

There were a few comments exchanged between Jack and I as to whether we should stand behind her and watch or not, but we chose to pass her and continue to our trains as we could hear the trains approaching.

I went to my platform and the lady soon followed, still intently watching her movie. Having boarded my train and taken a seat myself, the woman boards behind me, turns around and faces the door ... but not everyone is on yet. The rest of the people from the platform simply brush by her, pushing past and causing her to sway slightly. She ignores all of them and continues to watch her movie.

The trains that the MBTA uses, being the most modern, elegant and smooth pieces of machinery known to man, starts down the line with a rough lurch. The woman has both hands on the player and is not holding on to anything else ... the initial jounce of the train causes her to smack into the pole that you would normally hold onto.

This causes her to look up! You would have thought someone had hit her. She looks wildly around like someone had done this to her, having completely ignored all of the people who pushed pasted her earlier, and goes back to watching her movie.

We arrive at my stop, and the doors open. She is still standing in the doorway, even though the car is almost empty and plenty of seats are available. The remainder of the people in the car are now trying to get off; the first few push past her again ... she is still ignoring them .. but there is one guy who apparently has had enough of her indifference to the other passengers.

This guy walks up and line-backer style puts his shoulder into her back, prostrating her out the door onto the platform. A complete yard-sale of her thing, her pocket book, her DVD player ... topped-off with the disc rolling away.