Monday 5:17 p.m. (previous day)

Rode home on the el with a co-worker - and one who is my friend so it wasnt like we had to come up with weird work conversations or small talk about inane things like how much we hate the fact that nobody makes coffee at work.

Whenever you ride home with a co-worker, you need 5-10 minutes to decompress from work mode. Who annoyed you that day. Small triumphs. Productivity assessment. The usual office gossip about who violated the unwritten office rules like playing video games on their computer or who spent too much time in the bathroom (this is a true fact from my office that two people have been accused of loitering to long in the bathroom).

When the train got to Belmont a large woman came on and was standing right in front of me. She had a big belly and I was seated but it was not obvious if the belly was a baby or just a belly. I awkwardly looked to my friend for guidance but alack, none was given. So rather than give up my seat, I asked her if she wanted to sit down and she said "no". Needless to say, I think she was not with child and I just reminded her that she is not a svelt woman. This conundrum happens all the time - especially being a gay man whose doesnt have many child bearing friends.