Subway Encounter 2

An older black man came up to me at broadway junction while I was reading. "Did I bother you with my loud talking on the train," he said in a catty tone. I looked up from my book and replied "yea, but I was able to tune you out."  I knew he was trying to start a conversation with me. "You know, I never seen a tall young woman carry herself the way you do." He tried to explain how I look intelligent and not a lot of black people know how to read. Of course I wasn't impressed with that remark. "It's because I carry a book, I'm intelligent," I replied. He got stumped and then tried to compliment me. He basically said I look smart but he couldn't elaborate when I said why. "I have a big forehead?" I said with a frown. He disagreed and quickly changed the topic since that conversation was obviously going nowhere.

He asked me my age and I told him 21. He looked down nodding his head as his eyebrows furrowed together as if he was thinking hard about something. He said he's a comedian then refused to make me laugh without charging me 5 dollars. I looked at him and shrugged, but this stranger did not give up. He then gets into talking about comedians like Kevin Hart who used his tough life to make people laugh. That's what he wanted to do. He loved making people laugh, but for a price I presume. Then out of the blue he jumps into a Martin impersonation which made me laugh hysterically. Suddenly I was interested in this 36 year old man. He messed all that up when he said he has "a lot" of girlfriends. I looked at him blankly waiting for a reason as to why he brought that up. 

Then a concerned look appeared on his face and he motioned his hands in a way explaining that he was not trying to hit on me. We exchanged questioning looks and leaned back at the same time. The fact we acted the same way, had us laughing so hard we took a couple of steps away from each other cracking up. I then knew he could be a good friend regardless of his age or demeanor. He told me little about his life, his name and email in which I don't remember neither of them. But I hope to see him around sometime. Although I was late to work, he truly made my day in the subway station that day.