It’s that time of year again, when the weather beg…
It’s that time of year again, when the weather begins to get hot and muggy, and the burden of a hairstyle is just too much to bear, so I do what I do every spring: I took my clippers and gave myself a buzz.
Immediately I noticed a slight difference in the way people reacted to me on the street. Whereas before I got smiles and nods, now I get startled, almost hostile glares, the kind of look I imagine I probably give out on the street, I admit. Perhaps it’s just the weather today (there’s a sandstorm from China screwing with our already-not-so-wonderful air quality) or some other factor I’m not taking into account.
The subway home this afternoon was crowded, not as crowded as is sometimes is at rush hour, but I have my computer with me so it was a little inconvenient. An old woman was wheeled on at one point. Her wheelchair sported the word “Karma” on its purple leather straps. By the door, a little boy of about 6 or 7 kept staring suspiciously at me. He was obviously of mixed blood, most likely half black and half Chinese. The woman accompanying him looked old enough to be his grandmother; perhaps she was, or some aunt. I had my head down on my computer when I heard the kid ask “What happened to the red? Why’s it all green now?” The woman didn’t answer, so I did, explaining to him that the MRT would make the one line into two lines in the future. The kid seemed really happy that someone answered his question.
