{"id":74624,"date":"2014-07-28T17:30:27","date_gmt":"2014-07-28T21:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/?p=74624"},"modified":"2014-07-28T17:13:05","modified_gmt":"2014-07-28T21:13:05","slug":"if-you-see-something-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2014\/07\/28\/if-you-see-something-2\/","title":{"rendered":"If You See Something"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Enter_to_New_York_Subway_2013\"<\/a>

Photo: Jaroslav Thraumb<\/p><\/div>\n

I was midway through a very different sort of post today when something unexpected happened: I got hit in the face on the subway.<\/p>\n

It was an accident, but no less unpleasant for that. On the subway, you expect a certain amount of violence: in the course of a rush-hour commute you\u2019re liable to be jostled, elbowed, crowded, and trod upon. If you are short, the incidence is even higher. But even by those standards this was unusual. Indeed, even by my own day\u2019s standards\u2014which seem to contain more petty indignities than a Benny Hill sketch\u2014this was unusual.<\/p>\n

Long story short: as we were both getting up to exit the 1 train, a man hefted his backpack and, in the process, backhanded me. Because his arm was propelled by the weight of his bag, and because I was in the midst of standing up, the blow was really hard. A gasp went up from everyone who had seen. He apologized, twice, but there really wasn\u2019t anything he could do. And because there is nothing worse than refusing an apology for something done without intention, of course I accepted it, and tried to smile and pretend it was nothing.<\/p>\n

It has been a while since I was punched in the subway. The last time was much worse. I got on the train with a heavy paper grocery bag in each hand. No sooner had I walked through the doors when a teenager, out of nowhere,\u00a0punched me in the stomach. It wasn\u2019t that hard, but the shock was enough that I dropped my bags, a plum rolled down the car, and\u2014I would discover later\u2014several eggs broke. His friends cackled with glee. No one did anything.<\/p>\n

That wasn\u2019t even the worst part. \u201cHey, sorry,\u201d said the kid, after I had sat down. Then, \u201cGive me a kiss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, I\u2019m sitting here with a cold pack to my aching jaw\u2014I have one of those cartoon-drunk ice bags. I think it is going to swell, but hopefully won\u2019t excite too much comment. If I have to, I guess I could make some awful joke about Zsa-Zsa Gabor and New York, and try to be jaunty. But the truth is, I hate having to admit I\u2019m a victim of the city, you know?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was midway through a very different sort of post today when something unexpected happened: I got hit in the face on the subway. It was an accident, but no less unpleasant for that. On the subway, you expect a certain amount of violence: in the course of a rush-hour commute you\u2019re liable to be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":178,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13115],"tags":[12528,12511,14760,14759,125,607],"class_list":["post-74624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-our-daily-correspondent","tag-accidents","tag-city-life","tag-commutes","tag-injuries","tag-new-york-city","tag-subway"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIf You See Something<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sadie Stein on being a victim of New York City.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2014\/07\/28\/if-you-see-something-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"If You See Something by Sadie Stein\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"July 28, 2014 \u2013 I was midway through a very different sort of post today when something unexpected happened: I got hit in the face on the subway. 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