I try...

So last night I was waiting for the N train at the 28th street stop at about 12:30 or so. Thursday night is apparently the night that the 28th street stop gets a shower because everyone waiting had to huddle at one end while 2 people were going up and down with power washers blasting the layers of grime away.

This is the second time I've been privy to seeing the 28th street stop get its weekly douche and both times it's the same woman manning the power hose. She is probably in her late fifties/early sixties and had a long blondish-brown weave. She seemed tired, and working solely to get the job done so she could go home. Or move on to the next station. It then dawned on me that this is her job! Okay, I guess that's by no means some major revelation, but thinking about it I realized that every Thursday night at about midnight she hauls all this douching gear out and proceeds to clean the entire subway station. What is dirtier than a subway station? Maybe subway station bathroom? She probably has to clean that too. And that is what she does. Everyday. She probably knows the nooks and crannies of each station she cleans; there are some stations that are easier to clean than others; she probably counts down the hours until she is off--it's a repetitive, boring job. Just like mine. Kind of...

I wanted to give her some recognition, some compliment that made it known I appreciate the hard work she's doing. We all need to feel appreciated, right? Right. The train came, so she paused her washing and I made my way down towards her. As I walked towards the train I said to her politely, "Thank you."

She didn't hear me. I could have just given up and gotten on the train, but I thought, "No. I will thank her for her work!"

I moved a little closer, not really knowing what to say.

"The floors look great..."

That's the best I could come up with; like some over privileged white woman thanking her Mexican cleaning lady.

I topped it off by giving her a "thumbs up." Yes. When I feel awkward and don't know what to say, I instinctively give the "thumbs up." It's a habit I need to work on.

She responded by giving me a look that said, "get on the damn train." I murmured "Thank you" as I quickly got on the train hoping no one witnessed the uncomfortable encounter.

Go look at the 28th Street stop on the uptown NWR though. It is very clean.