Riding with the lizard

Today there was a guy in the SF BART station that I didn't want to look at too closely. I had my iPod on, so I couldn't quite tell if all his loud noise was for good or bad. I assumed bad -- I might as well since I will never know what could happen to me on the BART train anymore.

I got on my train, and I heard the guy getting on too. He was talking really loudly. I took a quick glance and realized he was mentally disabled. And completely harmless. He was with a girl in a wheelchair that seemed to be mentally disabled too. I couldn't really tell with her. As soon at the train took off, the guy jumped up to rescue a tiny Asian man. The Asian man didn't brace himself when the train took off and almost fell on top of the girl in the wheelchair. Of course, she couldn't do anything, and just sat there with a panicked expression on her face. What was a bit funny about the whole scene was that the guy was more concerned about the Asian man than the girl. And the Asian man seemed to be completely freaked out having a large, bumbling guy go after him as he yelled, "I'll help you! Lemme help you to the seat!!!" Smiling the whole time, of course. Yes, completely and utterly harmless. Sometimes it's nice to see.

So this guy was chatting up a storm to anyone, everyone or maybe no one. I wasn't spending much time watching him. Just quick glances here and there. Sometimes I wish I could swap my crazy brain for someone who was just that innocent and happy.

At some point a lady sat down in the handicap seat directly across from the guy. I didn't look, but I noticed he immediately got up and went to her. It seemed he was looking at something in her hands. At one point I could hear over my music the girl in the wheelchair saying something about flower petals, to which the guy would respond. So I thought the lady had flowers or some flower jewelry on her fingers.

When the guy started laughing and yelling in glee (yes, sounds corny, but that is what it was), I had to look up. Everyone around me was laughing. He had a lizard in his hands, and he was putting it right next to the girl in the wheelchair's face -- making her scream, of course. He laughed and laughed and quickly gave the lizard back to the lady in the handicap seat. The lady next to me was laughing, the lizard lady was laughing -- it was one of those rare moments when everyone near each other was taking the time to experience this one slightly silly moment and actually laughing -- not at this guy, but with this guy.

The train stopped, and he ran off, girl in wheelchair in tow. He was still laughing and running around the platform while she was getting off. She was muttering something to him -- probably telling him in her own way what a jerk he was, but he didn't care. None of us cared. It was just nice.

I then got a good look at the lizard and the lizard lady. Fairly normal looking woman -- not one you'd expect with a lizard. She was holding her lizard like he was the best pet ever. The lady next to me (who spent all the time up until this point sleeping) even asked about him and gave him a pat. The lizard was set-up like a lizard king with his own box and crickets.

It was nice riding with the lizard that day. I think he made everyone's day and will never realize it.