Weird Dude (Actor?) Fakes A Limp

[tags] la, metro, limp, actor [/tags]

In another entertaining Metro episode today, a Latino man standing about 5′5″ and dressed in a green hoody, kaki jean jacket, jeans and all white shoes faked himself a limp. He was sitting at the back of the bus in the seats facing each other with his legs well extended when two black women boarded and wanted to get passed. Seeing as he didn’t have any intention of bending his left leg one of the women spoke sternly for him to please move his leg, causing no reaction from the relaxin’ man. Perhaps because his hood was up and he wasn’t acknowledging her, the woman assumed he didn’t speak English and like all people do when they are encountered with a language barrier, she spoke louder.

“Excuse me,” she twice repeated with angry appeal until the man finally looked up. He slightly adjusted but kept his leg out and straight, enough it seems for the ladies to acknowledge his disabled condition. “Oh your leg’s hurt, sorry, we’re sorry,” louder even, and they hobbled their way past him and sat down.

Several stops later the two women got off and several stops after that the green hooded man got off as well. I watched him descend the stairs of the rear exit and wondered what could be wrong. He had no brace to see or crutches or cane, but that’s not always telling either. And as he limped stepped by step, keeping his left leg straight, keeping the lie alive as long as possible, I wondered if perhaps he had a fake leg that could bend all the way or not at all. Or perhaps he had gout. Or maybe he was just an actor preparing for a role in a gritty gang movie where he’s lost his leg to a rival and has been left with a prosthetic as a reminder of inevitable vengeance. The latter, though seemingly ludicrous, turned out to be the most likely case because as soon as he hit the sidewalk he was off to the races. Off with two legs bending and stretching and moving on down the street.

So perhaps he didn’t have gout or a fake leg at all, and never aspired to be on screen. Perhaps he just felt like stretch.