Tripping

Riding home on the subway the other night, there was a really obnixious little boy waiting on the platform with his family. Maybe 11 or 12, he was well beyond husky, with a buzz haircut, a dark tan and a bullying attitude. I watched him manipulate his parents and harrass his sister. Not a good kid.
As the train pulled into the station, he crowded up to the platform gate taking a position front and center that would prevent people from getting off the train. I find that to be truly annoying behaviour in anyone, and this kid was already topping my annoyance tolerance levels.
I turned to Tod from my position near the side of the gate and whispered, “Can I trip the fat kid?” I don’t think he heard me. But apparently my feet did.
As I entered the train about a half a step after the fat kid (who’d been forced to to move to the side a little as people pushed past him getting out of the train), my ballet slipper-clad foot twisted just a little and slipped in front of his chunky athletic shoe. He tripped and stumbled into the train, recovering his composure in just an off-balance step or two.
I can’t believe I did that. I swear my foot seemed to be acting on its own…