riding the bus to work one morning, i was delighted to find i was the only passenger. i sat in my favorite seat, halfway back, and put my foot up on the tire hump. i dug out my book and sunk deeply into a mass transit induced hypnotic state. the bus pulled up to a stop with a large woman and her many bags, and she boarded, huffing and puffing. she moved very slowly, appraising all of her many choices of seats. i figured, what with all her crap, she'd sit up front and sort of spread out. but instead, she walked directly up to my row, gave me the once over, and nestled herself in right beside me, pushing me over with her girth, and trying to squeeze all of her bags into the seats with us. i am normally a pretty claustrophobic person and i also happen to generally not like people, especially if they are in my immediate space. basically, if i can feel, or in any way smell, their breath, i freak out. this lady didn't know this, but why had she chosen to sit right next to the only other person on the bus besides her? why? i didn't feel like i could move without deeply offending her, although looking back, i don't know why i cared. i was so uncomfortable that not only was my skin crawling, but i was almost losing control of my bladder. her bags were plastic and damp, smelling of the mystery food probably stashed deep and rotting within them. she was still panting heavily, and an oily smell was emmenating from her...well...from HER. i flipped out. i let out a small "aaaaa..." which involuntarily rose in pitch and volume until it was way louder than polite conversation would allow an offended noise to be. i sort of jumped straight up and clambored over the seat in front of me. her massive thigh sort of oozed into the space that i had just occupied. she grunted. i kicked my backpack up the aisle and clutched my books as i breathlessly told the driver to stop asap. i had to get off this bus and start my decontamination process. i felt like an ass, but obsessive-compulsive disorder waits for no social niceties. i just do what i have to do.