In the construction industry, our field people live and die by their Nextel push-to-talk (PTT) phones. It’s the standard in the instrustry, and after a while, the chirping sounds they make can drive you crazy. The last thing I want to hear when I leave work is someone’s phone constantly chirping. Worse yet, I don’t want to hear someone’s conversation at full volume over their PTT phones. That’s what happened today.
I was sitting on the 120 bus from Maverick Square to go home. I was sitting about a third of the way back the bus, which would allow anyone with special needs to have the front seats. This woman was sitting in the very front seat of the bus, having a very loud conversation with her female friend. Not only was she doing this via the PTT phone that was incessantly chirping, but she was speaking loud enough that the whole bus could hear her. On top of that, she had the volume on the phone high enough that the whole bus could hear her friend say that she only made two dollars at work today. I tried holding my tongue. No, really, I really did. I sat there brooding from Maverick Square to East Boston Central Square when I’d had enough.
Anybody who knows me in person knows that my voice carries. When needed, I can use this to my advantage and use a deep, booming voice. Rarely will I do this, but it comes in handy. Today, it certainly came in handy. “Excuse me. I don’t want to hear your conversation, and the rest of the bus doesn’t want to hear your conversation. Can you turn it down, please?” I boomed. There. I said my peace. She looked at me indignantly and said, “No. I don’t care.” At that moment, I became my mother. When my mom gets really pissed, she just clams up. You sit there and just wait for the eruption. I grabbed my iPod while all of the little Hispanic women on the buss turned around and smiled at me. Words can’t convey just how infuriated I was. Part of me wanted to walk up there and toss her phone out the window. But doing that with witnesses wouldn’t be smart. Instead, I put on my headphones and waited for my stop. I got off the bus via the back doors, avoiding confrontation with the loud speaker.
Today, I did something I rarely do. I left it alone after I said my peace. I wanted to tell her that she was rude and disrespectful. I wanted to state just how much an insensitive cunt she was being. But for once, I left well enough alone. Oh, she’ll get hers. Karma’s a bitch. And when she bites you in the ass, only then do you learn that her teeth are very sharp.