Sunday 21 December 2008

Sooo...

last night as I was heading back to brooklyn, headphones deep in ear and completely oblivious to my surroundings, I see an advertisement that has been scrawled over to the point that it resembles an image forum.

This is the G train I'm waiting for now so I have plenty of time, and the bright idea of adding to this group project hits me.

I squat down in front of it and add an alien head next to a portrait of a hipster. I'm drawing for about five minutes when a flash of light goes off behind me.

Curious as to why someone would be taking pictures I turn around and look across the platform.

On the other side is a young guy with a camera. He looks bemused. He nods with his head to the side and I look to his left.

Standing there irately are two policemen.

Realizing I can't hear what they are saying because of the headphones in my ears I uncork my head.

Still from across the platform they proceed to go off on me about how I'm defacing subway property, they can't believe I would so blatantly ignore them, etc etc.

For some reason I find this very amusing, mostly because it really was just outright stupid of me to not look around first.

I apologize and accept responsibility for what I've done.

A guy next to me, young, probably went to pratt, tells me to zip it and not make matters worse for myself.

One of the policemen trots up the stairs to either arrest me or give me a summons. The other continues to tell me how I'm not very bright, how the fine is hundreds of dollars, and then proceeds to go up the stairs as well.

For awhile I stand there awaiting the inevitable descent of the law, but then I realize that it should only take them a minute to cross over and it's already been about five.

After another five minutes it dawns on me that something of actual importance must of happened upstairs, and when I listen I can hear muffled loud conversation.

Then the train arrived.

And so a lesson was learned, but at zero cost.

hurrah!



2 comments:

Kate said...

Harry, this story makes me very happy. But only because you didn't get into trouble.

shao said...

wow, that was a close one. figures that as soon as you want to draw on a subway ad, the cops show up, eh?