The Fight

It was a really long wait for the bus. The little one was upset the bus was taking long. 
"It'll be here soon." I said in a cheery voice though I was seriously annoyed it was taking so long. I distracted us with word games.

The bus finally came and it was packed. I was so happy because it stopped right in front of us. The crowd trying to get on was thick. Though the bus was full there was a seat right up front, and I thanked all my lucky stars. I put my grocery bag on the floor and held my child on my lap. My oldest found a seat in the back of the bus and proceeded to read her book.

I chatted with a woman standing in front of me about tourism in NYC. I started hearing a woman cursing. Her curses got louder and when I really paid attention it was a woman with a baby on her lap. She was cursing out someone she claimed didn't say 'excuse me' to her as she went passed her and her open stroller in the aisle.
The one who was getting cursed out said, she had apologized already. The angry woman didn't accept her apology and repeated how she was going to beat the %$## out of her and mess her the *&#^$# up in the filthiest, loudest language. It was so bad that  even the thugs were like 'whoa'.

My little one was reading her book and didn't notice. People were just shaking their heads and staring. A man with a cast on his foot said she had run over his hurt foot with her stroller and didn't say excuse me. The tension was so thick.

The young woman who was soon to be beat up ran out of the backdoor with her friend while the bus was idle. They TRIED to get away at the last minute. The angry young woman dumped her baby where she was sitting and sprinted, amazingly leaped over the person next to her like she was doing the 100 yard hurdle in the Olympics. She zoomed out of the bus and proceeded to pummel the other woman. I did not look. The bus driver did nothing. My kid picked up on it and was crying. People were watching them out the window like it was a pay per view boxing match.
I yelled to my oldest not to look at the fight. The bus driver did not move the bus. The woman's baby was screeching. I felt so sad for the baby. How could she just drop him like that? I had to deal with my kid who was upset.

The angry woman strutted back on the bus without her wig on and without a shirt on! She didn't seem to care. Someone threw her wig back into the bus and finally the bus driver closed the door and pulled off. The angry woman told her screaming child to 'shut the f up!'

People were mumbling and shaking their heads in disbelief. I felt so upset. I felt so sad.  I had to reassure my kid that it was going to be alright. Meanwhile the angry woman was still cursing and talking mess. A woman actually affirmed her by giving her a high five!? She was so righteous in her anger, proud of what she had just done.

I was wondering why the bus driver didn't call the cops or say anything. I didn't say anything. As we walked home the youngest was upset. I told her it was fine to be upset because we were in an upsetting situation. We talked about the fight. The oldest said she passed the angry woman on her way to the back of the bus and had said 'excuse me' really loudly.  I knew my child would be fine. We talked about her feelings, we talked about anger and what anger does.

But what about that baby? That crying baby whose mama just dropped him....he stayed with me for a while after this. His cries, his little pained face, her telling him to shut the f up because he was upset. My heart hurt for him. How could she just drop him like he didn't matter?