ridley

Yesterday I had a strange encounter on the bus. On my way to a bar in the Inner Richmond I get on the Geary bus. As usual, especially in the afternoon to evening, it is packed. By packed, I mean that the back of the bus which is usually a bit open because people are idiots and don't move back is actually full. So I'm standing there holding my backpack and my messenger bag listening to some good ol' cheesy Icon of Coil on my iPod and minding my own business. All of the sudden a dispute breaks out between a guy with long hair pulled back into a pony tail wearing a long black trench coat over jeans and a white t-shirt next to me and an older, maybe fifties, lady who was sitting in one of the seats next to where I was standing. I try to ignore the confrontation and listen to my techno EBM goodness but alas they are quite loud. As I start listening to the argument I realize that it is not quite between just the guy and the lady. So I block out my music and listen to the tiff without removing my headphones.
The guy is saying "She has done nothing to you, just calm down. No one is hurting you just mind your own business."
The lady is responding, "I don't want her touching me. She needs to stop touching me." The lady is extremely mad.
I realize that the person touching her happens to be me, but not really me, just my pant leg. But I can't move anywhere. I don't want to crush the feet or bags of a nice lady sitting next to her and I can't move out at all because the bus was packed. I pull out my earphones to listen better to the argument and they continue along the same line. He is arguing for me, her being angry and weird.
So to put a lid on the situation at hand I laugh and turn to the guy and say, "Let it go man, it's ok, it's nothing to worry about." He protests but I continue, "You dont have to stand up for me to her, she's crazy it's ok, it's nothing to worry about."
His reply is "I know I don't have to stand up for you but this is seriously wrong, I mean the bus is full. FULL."
I say, "I know, but let her be crazy if she wants to be dumb and expect to not be touched then let her be crazy and ignore her."
I put my headphones back in thinking that the situation would be alleviated. But it is not. The lady continues to rant and my glances to people nearby are met with looks of confusion and humor. It seems everyone thought this lady was off her rocker. Well after the Fillmore stop the bus empties out a bit as usual, the lady gets off and myself and the trench coat guy move farther back to the middle of the bus. I take out my earphones again and ask him what was wrong with that lady.
"I have no idea but she was going off. She called you and I vampires and said she was going to stab some homeless guy that was behind me."
I laughed heartily at being called a vampire, as that is the silliest thing I think I've ever been called.
But that lady was a little scary; I mean the woman was threatening to gut someone for just being on the bus because he was homeless. She was freaked out because I was wearing black and my pant leg was touching her on a packed bus. If I were worried about stuff like that I would avoid public transit.

That is by far the weirdest direct encounter I've had with crazies on the bus so far in this city.