Doors Closing? Or Not...

So I'm on way way into work the other day, and if you're familiar with the DC Metro system, a ride into work can look an awful lot like the "Running of the Bulls" festival through the narrow streets in Pamploma. As soon as the metro doors open, grown men and women seem to have no problem running over each other to get to their next train, the exit turnstile, the guy giving away free Express newspapers (please remember to recycle!), etc...

Anyways, so a friend and I have just boarded a metro, when we hear the infamous "Doors Closing" message played on a loud speaker. Then it happened. This "I think I'm Hot-Shit, Its cool to board metros and bump into as many people as possible, when the train's obviously packed to capacity" girl in her late-20's decides to make a mad dash for it. It's actually kind of funny how the "Door's Closing" message as turned into the "Yellow Light" of public transportation. Anyways, the doors begin to close, and I'm still trying to figure out whether I think the girl's gonna make it or not. I mean, yeah, she's only gotta travel about 7 feet and she's on...but still, when the lady on the intercom says, "Doors Closing", she means it.

So this girl is still booking towards the metro, in what seems to be the longest 3 seconds in metro history, and it's starting to look like a scene out of Independence Day, when Will Smith and that Dude from Jurassic Park are trying to get out of the Alien Mother ship before it shuts. As the doors are finally coming to a close, Miss Hot-Shit takes makes one last lunge forward and forces her way onto the metro, bumping into 5 or 6 people in the process. Usually, this wouldn't bother me and I would even go as far as applauding her metro-boarding efforts...but one of those un-expecting passengers happened to be your's truly. So now I'm face-to-face with Miss Hot-Shit who appears to have no intention in apologizing, and the doors finally manage to close...on her purse and her plastic bag lunch (If there's anyone who's unaware, the metro doors can be quite unforgiving. I've seen a grown man's shoulders get turned inward by a pair of metro doors before they decided to release him. I guess its the Metro's way of teaching people a lesson for thinking they're above the law). Again, I tend to think of myself as somewhat of a nice guy, and if it were anyone else, I would have definitely lent a hand, but all Miss Hot-Shit got was me, laughing in her face, hoping it catches on with the other passengers on the metro (it didn't). So she's all embarrassed now, clearly red in the face and probably pissed off that I'm laughing at her instead of trying to help her, and finally, after 3 or 4 hard tugs, the jaws of death that are the metro doors decide to spare her purse and probably not-so-delicious lunch.

Moral of the story: "Doors Closing" means "Doors Closing". Just wait for the next train, people. I promise, its only 3 minutes later and I doubt anyone actually cares about getting to work 3 minutes late. Trust Miss Hot-Shit, its not worth the embarrassment :)