Riding the subway during rush hour is like knowingly stepping into a sardine can full of people who aren’t wearing deodorant and have zero qualms about breathing their morning breath on you, all the while jostling you with their oversized backpacks. It’s one of the many glamorous aspects of living in a metropolitan area.
That said, small acts of kindness can make the train commutes infinitely more tolerable. When someone offers you their seat, for example, or takes off their backpack in deference to the people around them, the world feels like a (momentarily) nicer place.
And, every so often, you have to opportunity to witness an act of true, human heroism.
Barrister Jamie Susskind was recently on his morning train in London when he witnessed an utterly surreal experience that he felt compelled to share with his Twitter timeline.
Managed to squeeze on. The usual smell of bad breath and shower gel.
— Jamie Susskind (@jamiesusskind) January 25, 2018
But today was different. The crowd was tetchy. There had been some jostling on the platform, and the odd (half-embarrassed) cry of "move DOWN". When I boarded, a lady with a strong Liverpudlian accent had started yelling at the guy next to her for squashing her arm.
— Jamie Susskind (@jamiesusskind) January 25, 2018
In the midst of his uncomfortable train commute, Jamie realized that a teenager standing in the crowded train was making a valiant attempt to suppress his urge to sneeze.
About three feet away, there's a small bloke standing with his back to the door. Must be 16/17 years old. He is truly hemmed in, arms locked to his side, his wee head like the end of a sausage poking out of a hot dog. And the look on his face is one of sheer terror.
— Jamie Susskind (@jamiesusskind) January 25, 2018
For a moment I wonder if he might be able to suppress it. He's trying his best. He's doing everything he can. But I can see that he is ultimately powerless. Like a gathering storm, the sneeze cannot be resisted. It is a force of nature.
— Jamie Susskind (@jamiesusskind) January 25, 2018
Jamie immediately felt panic about the packed train’s reaction to such an unwelcome burst of spittle and snot.
In the microsecond before the sneeze comes, I lock eyes with the guy. He looks at me like a man who has been sent to the gallows. I try to look sympathetic.
— Jamie Susskind (@jamiesusskind) January 25, 2018