My New Buddy Max

Max 

The train culture is an interesting culture. I have noticed that the train culture is also a fairly closed culture. You get to know those who ride the same times you do and you expect to see them from day to day or week to week on your train. Now there can be some dispersion in time, since some folks will ride will not always make the train on time ut through the week you can bet you will see your “train mates” sometime during the week and this is important. So, when a new person enters the group it takes a while for them to be accepted. It’s not like an obvious discrimination it’s just a quiet distance set up by the clique.

So it has been with Max, the blind guy. I noticed him showing up on my morning train about three weeks ago. I had been ignoring him till this morning. He is learning the train system. Max is still in the process of being travel trained. He uses a cane—an has many characteristics I have often associated with folks with sever vision impairments, picking, rocking and some communication issues. Max, is a friendly guy and I can sense that he is lonely and is trying to meet people. He often “throws” out a phrase and sees who responds. Once Max has got you on his verbal hook he talks and talks. Such was the case this morning. Max was casting his verbal lines out. And he lucked out by snagging the guy sitting next to him in the course of that conversation came out that Max needed to find a bathroom …but quick. He had to get off at a downtown stop and was asking everyone where the closest bathroom was. Clearly this was enough to isolate the rest of the folks in the car. I had not revealed myself to Max as yet but realized I would have to assist this guy. I kept thinking what would I do, if In was in a new city and was trying to figure that city out. I was about an hour early for work so I had the time and I had worked with any folks with sever vision impairments so I uncloaked. I told Max I would walk him to a bathroom and he was just ecstatic.

We downloaded off the train a stop from my regular top so I was OK. I just did not want old Max to lt go with his bladder before we got to a restroom. Luckily there is a across the street from the Train stop. I had Max grab onto the back of my wheelchair and we were off. Max did great keeping up. I got him to the door and told him I would wait till he finished and we would take it from there.

Max emerged from the restroom ten minutes later looking relieved and obviously had made it to the restroom in time. Whew! But now I am uncloaked. He knows my voice now and the sound of my power wheelchair. He’ll be “sharkin” for me. I guess I am glad I could help. No one else was going to so I did.

I have a new friend, Max.