While I Was Trying To Wade Through The Large Amounts Of People Trying To Leave The Central Subway Station,

while i was trying to wade through the large amounts of people trying to leave the central subway station, everyone abruptly came to a halt in front of the subway turnstiles. two french girls had misunderstood the tap-out process, and one of them was now stuck behind the gate. as i was wracking my brain on how to explain the tap-in tap-out process of the milan metro to both of them with my rudimentary french while they both got increasingly upset at the closed gate between them, a young teenager suddenly pushed me to the side.

i was just about to give him my most scathing disgruntled glare when he took out his ticket and, after realizing they had no common language, started gesticulating wildly in front of the french girl left behind. he pointed at the ticket, then at her, and very seriously said: “on three, we go.” she nodded, and after he counted to three, holding up his fingers so there could be no confusion, they sprinted through the gate together, giggling profusely afterwards as if they had just pulled off the heist of the century,

it was just a small moment during the morning commute. but i realized then and there that the time i had spent trying to intellectualize the problem and wondering if my lack of language skills would be awkward the situation could have already been resolved. and that while i had been mad about being pushed aside, the teenager got it exactly right: no questions, no fear or shyness, just direct action to help where you can and rushing there to do so. i think about him every time now when i run to lift someone’s pram or ask a lost looking person if they need my help despite the fear of being rude. on three, we go.

More Posts from Pluckedchicken and Others

pluckedchicken

2 months ago

Hate how lighting a candle does wonders to my mood. Like wowwww. Grug like fire? Grug not sad anymore because Fire in Cave? Wow. Real predictable of Grug.

103K notes View Post

pluckedchicken

7 months ago

CHAT BIG BIG BIG NEWS

4K notes View Post

pluckedchicken

2 months ago

Having a really long-term hyperfixation that has since faded is terrifying yes but it's also so embarrassing. Hi I used to think about Scrimblo Splungus 25/7. Yeah, for 2 years straight. Nah, I don't think about them anymore except for with a vague sense of melancholy as I recall how they used to make me feel. Anyways this new one, Blimpkins McGee? I'm gonna think about them forever and the cycle will NOT repeat in 2 years. Trust me guys.

58K notes View Post

pluckedchicken

1 year ago

can’t focus on work. can only think of that one lesbian poem about chivalry

Tags

rb for the last addition i love that way of thinking of amateur

429K notes View Post

pluckedchicken

5 months ago

Give a man a horse he’ll eat for a day teach a man to horse and make him drinks water

35K notes View Post

pluckedchicken

7 months ago

Me, a shitty little Canadian, shopping in Canada: Okay. Last item is frozen strawberries. Yay

In the frozen department: [A series of plain white bags with red fruit on them, all flipped to the French side]

Me: Oh hell yeah c'est framboises

Me: (grabs two)

Me, arriving home with deux sacs ds frambois congelée, remembering I havent spoken fluent french in over 10 years: Ah. Mes fraisers

8K notes View Post

pluckedchicken

5 months ago

dionysus big naturals

131K notes View Post

pluckedchicken

4 months ago

i wrote a twin cinema poem about two gay soldiers in wwi

context: the two sides, read separately, are the two soldiers thinking about their futures with each other. when read together, it's a reflection of their final thoughts when they die together struck by bullets <3

7K notes View Post

pluckedchicken

9 months ago