Fondle with Care Works

What I observed on BART

Who's that Lady?

4 students, bouncing from seat to seat, sharing earpieces, swearing for shock value, conscious only of how they appear to each other. Loud and seemingly obnoxious, mostly playful. One of them starts hissing, "Sh,sh sh-sh-sh!" Silent, they wait for their friend to reveal the secret. He says, "There she is! The Lady! Don't let her sit by us! Oh no! She's getting on!" The others hiss, "Who? Where? What lady?" A girl says, "That crazy lady who talked to us!" They become very small and polite, curling toward each other, peeking back to the Doors. No one gets on and they all laugh nervously. "What was that?" another asks, confused. The boy says, "God, that was close!" And they all sit back, subdued now, quietly waiting for their stop. I can't help but wonder who this Lady was with the power to terrify teenagers. If only their teachers had such power.