Room Writer

It was a weekend, and I was coming back from the lab, after wrapping up a week-long experiment. I took the subway and sat at the priority seating, as it was empty, and I didn’t have the energy to take any more steps. Two stations later, a couple with a baby walked in, and I vacated the seat for them and sat in the next available seat.

Suddenly, I heard someone speaking in my native tongue. I looked up out of curiosity and saw that it was a girl sitting in front of me, with her mother. Before I could secretly elate at discovering my species on a subway, I heard her telling her dad (who I sat beside) to be careful of the “person who just sat beside you!” That meant me! She continued warning her dad to keep his belongings safe, from me! The dad said it was okay, but eventually he caved in and pulled out his wallet from his pocket to check if it was still there.

I was shocked and amused at the same time. I had a bag of new clothes that I had just picked up from the store on my way back from the lab, and both my hands were busy on my phone. I thought, if a person can buy new clothes and is clearly busy with their phone, why and how on earth would the person steal? Forgiving her ignorance, I looked up and smiled at the daughter, thinking it will calm her nerves. How wrong was I! I just freaked her out more. She persistently asked her dad to move. The dad finally moved. All my effort to prove my innocence went in vain.

I was upset. How did I give them the impression that I was a thief! I was well-dressed, with a bag of new clothes and clearly my hands busy on my phone. Make it make sense!

This incident was a turning point in my very somber life. It taught me three good lessons. First, what people think about you is not what you are, rather their perception of you, based on some pre-conceived notion. Second, you cannot control what people think of you, no matter how hard you try. And, third, we should think twice before commenting on somebody, specially if they can hear you.

Were you ever misunderstood or misrepresented, or were you the one judging? How did you feel?