Socially Distant From Understanding

Due to a spreading illness, I am following the rules of keeping social distance from other people — whenever possible, that is. I’m on the bus and my stop is approaching, so I get up and stand near the doors. A woman to my immediate right makes movements that make me think she wants to get up, too, and I look over.

She barks at me with an attitude, “Keep social distance!”

I manage half a step in the small space to put more distance between us.

It’s a bus. It’s a bit difficult to keep the desired two meters away from everyone when you are stuck in those narrow hallways between the seat rows. Maybe I should have told her that she didn’t seem to care about social distance when I was sitting right behind her.