26.1.05
encouters on the subway
I was taking the train home but it was broken, so I got off to take the bus. The time was circa 3 am, and I walked to the turnstyle behind some too-cool people: yes, it was at Broadway Lafayette in soho. There was a guy at the turnstyle (the tall variety) who asked me to swipe him through. I obliged, of course, and as he was walking through, he turned, ostensibly to thank me, and stopped.
"Are you German or Jewish?" he asks. I get this all the time -- god knows why -- and they are usually right, or close. I don't look Russian, I don't particularly look semitic, I guess I just look a little foreign.
I say, yes, I'm Jewish, but not German. I'm Russian, why? He gets an incredulous look on his face. He's really happy to have found a fellow Russian Jew. Except that he is black and speaking with a sort of Carribean accent. "My ex-wife was German Jewish!" he beams. He's a little drunk.
We start talking about his ex-wife, his old job on Wall Street, and how the dudes who walked out before me wouldn't swipe him through. Then he tries to walk through but the swipe's expired. I say, what the hell, let's talk for 17 minutes and I'll swipe you through again. This time we discuss Israeli politics. I'm surprised at his clarity and even more amased that he shares my sentiments. His statements are peppered with "I don't agree with everything Sharon does, but..." and I feel like it's coming out of my own mouth.
I tell him I have to catch the bus. He gives me his email address and I swipe him through again. We shake hands. It made my night. I haven't emailed him yet. Will he remember me?
posted by a girl @ 22:38
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