my ghetto ride...

on wednesday, i had a dr appt at the u of chicago medical system. the buildings were fabuluos. the day before i debated whether i should take a cab, drive, or public transportation. i ruled out cab bc it would have been probably 50 bucks each way, and then i ruled out driving b/c i would either have to park downtown or drive way out of the way all the way home and then take the el back to work, and so i decided i could take public transportation seeing as though that seemed fairly simple and it would only cost 1.75 each way... folks, i'm poor... gotta cut corners somewhere!

so, i took the train downtown to where i was supposed to get the bus. it took me forever to figure out where the stop was. eventually found it, waited 15 mins and no bus. no sight of bus. so i got a cab. spent 25 bucks. excellent. i love spending money on cabs. but i got there. 5 minutes late. whatever. that was easy. the appt itself was easy. it took a couple of hours, but no big deal.

so, going home. i got on the bus going in the wrong direction. i was THE only white person on there. ok, uncomfortable. so, realizing i went the wrong way (i started on 58th and needed to go to 63rd, i realized the street numbers were going down, not up). so i get off at 55th and cross the street. and get yelled at by two cars (of black people) b/c i crossed while the light was green for me mind you, but apparently turned yellow, and then it was their turn and they were mad that i was still crossing the street, um, ok, i was almost to the other side like 2 feet short. so now i'm feeling really uncomfortable and i'm waiting, in the ghetto, for a bus to take me the other direction with 5 black women. no white person in sight. (which i didn't realize b/c in the cab apparently he took me the really nice way full of gorgeous old big homes...ugh, those had totally disappeared). so then i get on a completely black bus and of course everyone is staring at me and i've never felt so white. i get off at 63rd and go to the green line el.

ok i'm still in the ghetto. like the really really bad south side of chicago ghetto. i'm waiting and there aren't too many people, i feel fine right then. and then the train comes. so i get on it (btw, it's the end of the line where i'm at and can go only one way. yet i double checked just to make sure there were no more wrong ways taken). i'm on the train and the doors close. i'm the only one on it. uhhh, ok. but then it doesnt go anywhere and i started to freak out. i didn't know what to do so i decided to use the emergency pull handle to open it up. no noise going off, phew. then the guy tells me that's the train, just waiting for a bit to go unti there are more people. ok. so then that train car completely fills up (doors finally open) and this one black guy decides he needs to talk to me. and i can't be rude. i'm on a car full of black people. in the ghetto. and i am the only white girl on there. so i humor him and talk as little as possible. and turn my ring aorund so you cant see the diamonds and untuck the hair behind my ears so the earrings aren't noticeable. sounds so prejudiced, but shit, better safe than sorry right?? and i am in the middle of the worst chicago ghetto. anyways, he tells me i have pretty eyes, that he does something(couldn't understand) for 12 bucks an hour cause that was better than the 9.50 he was making before. and that he goes out every single night. he'd asked if i was married... said no, but i told him i had a boyfriend hoping he'd leave me alone. he didn't. so then when i said 12 bucks is better than 9 that's good and you get paid once a week - even better - wish i could get paid weekly - he says, i can hook ya up! oh boy. um no. then he's all how much you make? and i'm all dont wanna talk about it. but he wouldn't let it go and he kept telling me he'd hook me up so i finally said 15 pulling some number out of my ass. then he's says hell, what do you do for that. i said sales and he says what do you sell, i can sell anything to anyone... ok buddy with the glazed eyes and terrible teeth. i'm sure you can sell 1031 exchanges. but it gets better... i ask where he's getting off (ie how much longer do i have to be nice to you) and he says 47th st. thank god, that was only a few stops away. by the time we get there, i've learned he's 35 and has 2 women and 8 kids (his words) he supports (or doesn't). and him - all on 12 bucks an hour. oh yes, and the best part. he wants to know how old i am. i told him 29 and he said no way... he thought i was more 39. oh gee, thanks. he said i was too mature for my age. gee, thanks. oh yes, and he said he could get me a knock off of my purse and i told him it already was (it wasn't - i don't do knock offs). but, i'm not done here. i'm still the ONLY white person in sight and then finally a stop comes closer to where i need to be and i decide to get off and change to the red train. only i mistook orange for red (they look similar!!) and then got on orange. at least there were white people and i wasn't in the complete ghetto. so then, i got off at the next stop and luckily they also had a red stop to change to. so i managed to find that and get on the right train. and then i was back in my happy white/mixed area of downtown where i picked up some lunch, thanked my lucky stars THAT was over and came in to the office. it was awful. and i'd so much rather be at home relaxing and forgetting that ever happened.

ok, so maybe i sound slightly prejudiced there... but in my defense, i was in the complete ghetto. and everyone i've told that story to that lives here has said... wow, you just don't take public transportation down there - it's dangerous! and bear in mind that just the day before, my coworker got mugged and had her wallet stolen at an el train stop in a decent neighborhood so that was rolling around in my head too. so yes, i probably was being prejudiced, but at the same time, i think everyone has their prejudices. and frankly, had on been on my side of town and the only white girl on a train, i probably would have been just fine. but, something about being in the ghetto and clearly looking out of place... it was frightening. so lesson learned, the next time (if there is one) that i have to go there, i will definitely be driving. even if gas costs 10 bucks a gallon.