Yes, you read the title correctly. For some reason when I am on public transportation, Asian men subconsciously think my shoulder is a pillow. I first noticed this a while ago on a flight back from the west coast. While I was trying to sleep in my sliver of a seat next to the window, I felt a nudge. You may be thinking…what was the nudge? Because I was too. When my pseudo sleep haze cleared I realized it was the older Asian gentleman to my left who would fall asleep, bump into me and then rebound to his own personal space. Not once, not twice, but continuously for at least 3 hours. A few times he didn’t do the rebound thing and ended up invading my bubble and leaning on my shoulder. As if being on a plane for 6 hours with recycled air that includes millions of dead skin cells and bacteria wasn’t enough, I was now threatened by a stranger’s drool. Ick much?
Then today I was on the train in to Boston, when a flashback hits. No I wasn’t in Nam but I was nudged. Yes that’s right, I was nudged. And guess what type of human was next to me…an older Asian man. Now since it is the subway there is some clearance for nudging due to the natural motion of the train, this was not that type of nudging. This guy was unconscious with his chin in his chest, his head moving like a bobble doll. And where do you think that head landed more than once? If you guessed my shoulder…YOU’RE RIGHT! Good for you…not so good for me. Luckily every time we reached a station the momentum of the train would pull him towards his other neighbor and then when the train started Mr. Bobble Head sloooowly found his way back to me.
And it’s not like I wear 80′s shoulder pads that would call out to a weary head. I’m not afraid to admit, I have bony shoulders. So I don’t understand why I am/have become a sleeping Asian man’s pillow. But I guess I am good at it or else it wouldn’t keep happening…maybe I should start charging rent!
