The man on the train...

...okay, so I was getting the LRT, or in Edmonton the ERT, to the downtown bus station. I only had to go a few stops. There was a man sitting a few rows in front of me. He had turettes syndrome (spelling????) and was screaming uncontrollably. I felt bad for him, since I've learned that it hurts more when they try and hold it in. Everyone was acting awkwardly around him, when really they should just try to be normal. I know it's hard, but I'm sure it makes him feel worse when people act awkwardly and uncomfortably around him. Anyhow, this old man, maybe 60, gets on the train and sits next to me.

He was telling me how in his day it people with disorders weren't looked upon very well, even bullied. It wasn't socially acceptable to have a disability. He started to tell me how he had some very bad experiences with bullying. He was always looked upon differently from the other kids. It has bothered him psychologically to this day. He has a tail. Or had. I didn't ask if the tail still remained.

I was halfway between laughing and deep shame. Laughing not because of him having a tail, but because he told this random girl he met on the train. Shame for the possibility of laughing!

A tail.

How many people do you think he tells in an average day?