Have I posted on Joe The Blind Guy before? Probably, but if I don’t remember than no one else will either.
Joe The Blind Guy was a person I met on the train virtually every day for a few years
during my commuting to work era. He
got on the train the stop after mine and left several stops before my
destination.
He was an
amazing person as I think of it. He
could not see a lick. He found the door
with his quick side to side cane work.
When he left the train he click-clacked his way to work without
assistance.
What he did
I don’t know, how he got where he was going was amazing.
One has to
admire and respect the incredible where-with-all of the disabled.
And yet, Joe
The Blind Guy was a big pain in the ass.
I cherished
my time on the train to either nap, or read the paper. It was 40 minutes of ME time, that I
did not have anywhere else. Joe The
Blind Guy spoiled this time every day.
As I was either reading or trying to catch a few winks I would suddenly
hear the click-clack of Joe The Blind Guy’s cane.
Joe The
Blind Guy would not just find a seat and wait for his stop, no, he would stop
at EVERY seat, and greet every passenger.
“Hi, I’m
Joe, what’s your name?” He would then ask that passenger where he was going, and then move up to
the next seat.
Now
ordinarily if you did not want to converse with another passenger you would
bury your face in the paper or feign sleep.
That did not work with Joe The Blind Guy. He could not see your face buried in the
paper or your feigning sleep. So you
knew he would soon find your seat. For two
cars back you would hear the click-clack of his cane followed by,
“Hi, I’m
Joe, what’s your name?”
Eventually
he would reach my seat, and my reading/ napping was already ruined, for the
waiting.
“Hi, I’m
Joe, what’s your name?”
“I’m Joe also, (knowing the next question) I’m
going to Newark.”
“I think we’ve
met before.”
“Yes (every flaming day) we have, how
are you?”
“OK, bye now.”
And he was
off to the next passenger. Damn how I hated Joe The Blind Guy.
You probably
are thinking,
“He
was looking for someone who got off at his stop to help him find his way.”
If he was,
he NEVER found anyone, he always click-clacked off on his own…every morning.
The worst
part of Joe The Blind Guy was not his disturbing my reading or sleep, the worst
part was feeling like shit all day for hating this poor bastard who was just
being friendly and was at the same time conquering more difficulty every day than
I could ever imagine.
As I write
this and remember back, I feel like shit once again.
God bless
you Joe The Blind Guy, my missed reading or nap was nothing next to your daily
challenge.
Still, you
were a pain in the ass!
It always amazes me how people with disabilities get on in life. They make me feel so small.
ReplyDeleteGod bless them; and you too, JoeH.
I admire the heck out of the guy but also you Joeh for your honesty. Maybe you should have gotten a seat nearest the door and initiated the conversation. Then there wouldn't have been the anticipation. Of course you could have pretend snored. Wonder where he is today?
ReplyDeleteWhen we're younger things bother us much more than when we get older. I wouldn't care for that either.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day and week, Joe. ☺
The guilt is real. I totally understand all your feelings about him.
ReplyDeleteI think he was checking to make sure he wasn't the only one on the train.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing he greeted everyone to be sure the seat was occupied so he didn't accidentally sit on someone's lap.
ReplyDeleteYou can admire someone without agreeing with everything that person does.
ReplyDeleteWHAT IF Joe the Blind Guy wasn't really blind, and later wrote a book on human behavior, based on all those years of research...
ReplyDeletei agree River ,most probably he was looking for vacant seat and he found greeting an appropriate way to do so i can say this because i would have done the same if i was Joe the blind guy :)
ReplyDeletenice and enjoyable read dear Joe !