Too Close for Comfort

I haven't enjoyed riding the ferry this summer. Unless I ride at an off time, the boats are absolutely jam packed; and that makes social distancing rather difficult. My solution has been to always ride on the covered upper deck whenever possible. At least if there are people close to me we're outside in the open air. 

The other day Star Line was running a different boat to Mackinaw City - one of the boats with an uncovered upper deck. Of course the day I needed to go across it was pouring down rain, so the upper deck wasn't really an option.  I sat below - in the very last row of seats. 

People continued to board the ferry behind me, trying to spread out as best they could. It was the first boat off the island in the morning, and as is typical for the 8:00 am boat, there weren't a ton of passengers. As I'm patiently waiting for the boat to head out into the Straits, a woman slides in right next to me. Never mind that there are five empty rows of seats in front of me - five empty rows, and this woman chooses to sit right next to me in the same row.

Now, it is important to know the boat lines are following our Governor's mandate that masks must be worn in public places. On every trip Star Line tells passengers they are "required to wear a mask covering their nose and mouth for the duration of the crossing." This woman was the only person I would see on the boat who wasn't wearing a mask.

I politely asked her, "If you're going to sit here, would you please put on a mask?" 

She gave me a dirty look and snapped back, "I have a medical exemption."

I choose not to argue with her - maybe she really did have a medical condition. "OK," I said with a smile, "then would you mind choosing a different seat?" and I motioned to the plethora of empty rows. After an exaggerated eye roll and a huff she did get up and move, although she ignored me when I thank her.

I get that masks are uncomfortable. I get that she didn't want to wear one. I even get that there is a slight chance she might actually have a legitimate medical reason not to wear one. What I don't get is why she chose to sit right next to me where there were all those empty seats available. Why not go sit in a row by yourself? It was almost like she was intentionally trying to provoke me into an argument. I wasn't going to bite.