I flew to Atlanta this week for a technical conference. Once I arrived, I took the MARTA's red line from the airport to Peachtree Center in the downtown area. It’s a short trip and saved my employer a car rental fee. Along the route, a lot of people got on the train. It was 5:00 pm. A group of kids entered at the Lakewood stop and started to jostle a rider at the back of the car. It reminded me of Gypsies in Paris. A fat old lady yelled, “Pick pockets.” She pointed at the kids with a flabby black arm (with perfect nails). I expected them to be mobbed and arrested or something, instead at least 25 riders raised cellphones and shot video. The kids hid their faces under shirts and hats. The did their best to avoid showing any part of the face to the people on the train. They jumped off at the next stop followed by a few passengers holding cellphones up to record their flight. The doors eventually closed. The people riding with me went back to doing whatever they were doing before. The fat woman muttered, “Stupid kids.” I smiled.
I took at cab back to the airport on my return trip.
