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So I'm not the most appealing seat-mate. Fine. I understand that...but really. Riding the streetcar back and forth nearly every day, I've discovered that nobody in Toronto wants to sit beside me. When I get on the streetcar, on either end of my round trip, most seats are empty. I always sit in the same place, about a third of the way back. (Note: I've discovered that I am, on average, 40 percent happier sitting near the front than in back.) As the car fills up and seats are claimed, I move my bag onto my lap to make room for...nobody. Because nobody sits next to me. I don't know why. Is it the leather jacket? It's not a bad-ass biker jacket. It's a nice-guy leather jacket. (Nice, that is, unless you're a cow.) Even if it was a biker jacket, I wouldn't look even remotely scary in it. I've tried smiling (not at people as they get on the streetcar...that would be creepy) and I've tried looking entirely neutral. I've tried reading, staring out the window and pretending to sleep. I try to take up as little room as possible. Nothing. Nobody sits beside me. I don't really want people to sit by me. I don't want them not to, either. I mean, I'm neutral about it. I have no agenda. I'm not looking to ask anyone out or chat about the Leaf's lousy season. But I do want people to be comfy, and I don't want to be that guy who hogs two seats. I can't leave my bag on the second seat...that just makes you look like a jerk. But after about ten minutes of balancing my heavy bag on my lap, in a cramped streetcar seat, my legs start to ache. If I'm going to be in pain, someone should at least sit down. Why does nobody like me? |
