It was getting colder outside and people were in a rush, making mad dashes from one side of the street to the other, bobbing and weaving in and out of traffic, shifting and sliding in and out of pedestrians' paths...
I was on my way back to work and I moved expertly along the sidewalk against the tide of business men and women fast-walking in the other direction. I found myself passing a Walgreens, and it was in this very spot right in front of the revolving door that I witnessed a rather curious incident, one that left me amused, sad, and intrigued all at once.
A stout woman and a hurried man collided---bumped into each other, rather, as many people tend to do during early morning rushes. He was leaving Walgreens and she was just about to enter the revolving door.
Their shoulders brushed with slight force, nothing violent or out of the ordinary for a morning streetside jostle before work. These things happen and you get used to it living in a city. People bump into each other. You may not always be pleased about it, but from my perspective, it didn't appear to be either party's fault. One could have said the man knocked into the woman just as easily as one could have said the woman knocked into the man.
The middle-aged man wearing a ballcap, and looking very angry at the world, scowled and glared at the woman as she walked on. He clearly perceived that the woman had knocked into him. And he was pissed about it.
"F#%*ing fat b*tch," he cried out venemously. His disdain was as clear as it could possibly be. He turned on his heels and continued on his commute.
But the woman would never know what he had said. She was already halfway through the revolving door to Walgreens by the time he'd insulted her. She plodded along, unaware that this man had been so enraged that he'd not only very publicly slighted her for bumping into him, but he'd also vociferously ridiculed her weight. She was oblivious.
I stopped in my tracks, the sea of pedestrians swimming around me now. I was a bit in shock from overhearing the angry-at-life man speak in such a manner to this woman who, for all intents and purposes, didn't appear to know what had just happened.
The man was in the distance now, walking eastwards, and I wondered why he had become so angry at this woman. What was it that was truly upsetting this man? Was he just upset at life in general? Had he just had a fight with his wife? Did he just get fired? Did his son just fail algebra? Did his daughter just tell him she was having an illigitmate baby with the captain of the footbal team? I deeply wondered where his anger came from. Because, after considering it for a bit, I perceived his anger to be more about himself. It just was directed at the woman because she created an outlet. He now had someplace for his anger to go.
But his true story I never learned.
Rather, I learned the woman's story.
Curiosity got the better of me and I decided to follow the woman inside Walgreens. I suppose I wanted to see for myself if this woman really was a) fat, and b) a f#%*ing b*tch.
I kept about 6 steps behind her the whole time. I felt like a spy. And she never saw me. I would glance away if she looked around, poking at books or vitamins or tape.
I needed the truth.
It was like reality television except I was the only one watching.
And this is when I put everything together.
She walked hurriedly and with purpose. The woman was definitely on a mission. I trailed her as she walked through the aisles until she reached her destination.
She stopped in front of a shelf, peered about for a few seconds, and picked up a bag of....
Ricola Throat Drops.
She was in the Cold and Allergy aisle.
My mind was spinning.
She moved on and dodged in and out of a few others aisles, not knowing exactly where her next purchase was located.
But then she found it. From the other end of the aisle, I saw her locate a pack of travel size Kleenex.
It all made sense now.
This poor woman was sick with a cold.
My world was rocked for a moment. Actually, it continues to be rocked.
It struck me that I was the only one who had seen both sides of this story. The man would never know what the woman's story was, and the woman would never even know that she had been yelled at. The woman was simply rushing, probably cold-headed and woozy, trying to pick up medicine before work. If she had bumped into the man, she probably didn't realize. And she certainly didn't know how angry she had made him. She would never know.
And the man? Well he would NEVER know...how could he possibly know...that this poor woman was neither fat nor was she a fucking bitch....she had a cold. She was buying medicine.
They were both oblivious to the other person's path and actions.
How curious and marvelous and sad, I mused.
Perception is truly amazing. The man saw the woman as rude and distressing, the woman saw the man as a mere bump on her way to the drugstore, and I saw the aftermath and the truth.
I left Walgreens somewhat excited and somewhat distubed that I was the only one who knew the story. I was the only one with the clear perception, the only viewer of this reality production.
And twisted and mundane as this tale might be to some, it was rather remarkable to me. Remarkable that I was the only audience member of the true story of the #$%ing fat b*tch.
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