Coughing at the Pine Street Inn

September 1, 2014

Usually, Sunday is the only day of the week when the Pine Street Inn doesn't make the guests leave for the day.  Today is a holiday, and the shelter is open.

When I got in line for lunch, a guest walked past me and coughed.  She hasn't been at the shelter for very long; I don't remember her being here before the last couple of weeks.  This is the first time that she has harassed me.

I said to her "I have always been very nice to you, and you know it."

That's true.  It's also not unusual for new guests at the shelter to be friendly to me until someone "tells them about me," tells them whatever vicious version of the conglomerate's vicious propaganda that is.

The woman said nothing and walked over to her table, looking smug.  There was then a lot of loud coughing behind me; I turned to see Lily, the staff person who harassed me earlier today, harassing me more.

She was seated on the other side of the room, observing the lunch line, coughing loudly.

She coughed several more times before she left the room.

Several other guests have coughed at me in the last few minutes, since Lily encouraged them to do so with her harassment of me.

Copyright L. Kochman, September 1, 2014 @ 12:03 p.m.