Subway Prayer Rules... Usually there is a lull on the West side subways about 9:20 am. First you have to wait awhile for the number one train, and then there is another wait for the express at 96th. Thursday morning was typical- I had a Civil Court calendar call so I headed out about 9:15 with a medium briefcase. There was a three minute wait at the local stop, and when we pulled into the express station at 96th street a crowd was already waiting. I was at the back of the platform because I go up the stairs a Times Square to catch the Q train down to Canal and Lafayette. As we waited, people shifted around the platform trying to get where we thought the doors on the express would land when it pulled in. Every one moved away from the lady with the baby carriage, because baby carriages at rush hour jam up the area near the door. Finally, after about five minutes I sighted the express train- a warm light curving in the tunnel- a number three train. The three is the one to get, because it starts in Manhattan it isn’t crowded, and has lots of empty seats. The two comes from the far reaches of the Bronx, and is always jammed up. Anyway, the three pulls in and I lose the door lottery- I’m four feet away from the nearest door. As I crowd into the train, I spot an empty seat next to a young woman with her eyes closed, but a young guy moving quickly gets it right in front of me. I stand in the empty area in the middle of the car and reach up to hold onto the overhead rail as the train hits 72nd Street. As we head out again, the train speed picks up markedly, trying to make up time, and the train starts swaying, nothing bad but you have to think about keeping your balance. As I sway with the train, the young woman with the closed eyes opens them and curtly remarks “Ma’am please watch your brief case, it just went into my knee!” I turned and looked down at her, defensively saying “The train is swaying, I didn’t realize I touched you because I’m trying to keep my balance.” She answered sharply “Well you did” and snaps her eyes shut again. I moved the brief case to my wrist and grab one of the center bars to hold my self steady, disgruntled, mostly because she had a seat while I stood, and looked her more closley. She was fingering a set of beads in her lap and moving her mouth in prayer. At that moment I felt bad, feeling that maybe she had an injury and my briefcase brushing against her knee had activated the pain, and said “Look I’m sorry, if I hurt you.” but she impatiently shook her head and continued to pray. The train thundered on, and just before we reached 42nd street she opened her eyes and looking up at me unsmilingly, announced “ I wanted to finish my prayers before I accepted your apology. Now I accept it, because I realize you probably did not intend to have your brief case touch my knee.” Smiling, I told her to have a nice day. Then, obviously uninjured, she jumped up and got out the door ahead of me while I lumbered off the train. I can’t get this incident out of my mind. Did my briefcase hurt her? I’ve tried swinging it at my knee but barely feel it. But it must have been annoying to have a brief case brushing up against her, hitting her knee. But if she was religious, shouldn't she have used a gentler tone of voice? I’m a lot older than her, what about respecting her elders? Is it OK in her religion to be annoyed at an old person trying to keep their balance because her prayers were disturbed? Isn’t that against prayer rules? Why didn’t her God tell her to get up and give me her seat?