When You Got to Go

I've been meaning to post this story for months but never got around to it.

Some time ago, maybe it was October or November, I was taking the L home from work. It was late evening, I was tired, and L was crowded and I was trying not to make eye contact with anyone. The crowd began to thin out a bit as the train wound it's way more North. In between two stops a guy, maybe in his mid 20's, got up from his seat, opened the door between to the two cars and stood outside as we were moving. He didn't enter the next car, he seems to just want to stand outside. Another girl and I watched him.

"Umm, you don't think he's going to jump do you?" I asked.

"God, I hope not!" she said and in my mind I added, it would really make my commute a lot longer if he did.

We both anxiously watched him until he came back in. He must have noticed us eyeing him through the door. He turned to the other girl and simply said, "When you got to go, you got to go. I tried to hold it, but sometimes there's no choice."

Apparently he had been standing outside between the cars, so he could pee on the elevated tracks.

Now, this is so thoroughly disgusting because in Chicago, the tracks pass over sidewalks, roads, and parking lots. That means that this man was essentially peeing on the people who were walking around under our L.

And that, is just nasty.