To want to say something to this woman on packed train

[witchofzog]

I am sat on a packed train. Lots of people standing. I managed to find a window seat as I boarded early. 2 women are sat near me. One directly next to me and one across the aisle. They know each other and are chatting away.

But the woman next to me has a cough and keeps turning away from her friend to cough. All over me. She doesn't want to cough on her friend but seemingly it's ok to cough on me

To be fair she is covering her mouth and it could be a nervous cough. But even so. I don't want to be coughed all over. But nor do I want to make a possible scene on such a busy train.

I guess I am going to have to suck it up and keep my head turned to the dark window all the way aren't I?

You could show her the thread, and say "oh my goodness, it's like someone read my mind!"

Yuk, but hard to speak to her, like you say, it might be nervous. Do you have any for the journey?

She’s covering her mouth, what more can she do

Sneeze right in her face when her mouth is open

No gin sadly.

I would prefer her to cough facing forward. The seats are high so she would only be coughing on plastic.

I do genuinely feel.a sneeze coming on actually

what more can she do

She can cough facing down into her own chest/lap, the grotbag.

Just exclaim ewww very loudly. I hate confrontation but that’s seriously gross.

Put up your umbrella every time she coughs?

Do you have a newspaper or a book you can pointedly hold up beside your face every time she turns towards you to cough?

Offer to swap so that they can sit together and if she still coughs towards you point out what she's doing.

Teach her how to do the Vampire Cough.

I would say 'please don't cough all over me' in a polite voice, with a sweet smile. She is probably unaware she is coughing in your face and will stop! Alternatively, every time she coughs at you, cough back whilst glaring

Either fart and waft in her direction or get up and stand

Swap seats with her friend.

Urgh, how rude. I would probably either say “please don’t cough on me” but firmly, not “sweetly”, or get up and move, regardless of the crush!

It's an odd thing isn't it.
I had to catch a guy in a restaurant a week ago - he kept taking phone calls and would walk away from his table so as not to bother them, apologising as he did do, and came and stood right next to me.
I had to do a polite version of 'excuse me but what the fuck!'

Have you tried asking her politely to not cough in your direction?

It’s not easy these days I know. People get so offended. But really she needs to appreciate that just like her friend, a stranger doesn’t want to be coughed on either.

Well I got off the train without having to say anything. It seemed to be a nervous cough as it seemed to subside once she had finished talking about a situation at work. Though if she had been the woman last week with the awful wet cough who coughed every 30 seconds or so WITHOUT covering her mouth I would have had to say something. Luckily THAT woman was not next to me that time.

You have just got to love the delights of public transport hey?

Btw what is a vampire cough?

Vampire cough is burying your mouth deep into the inside of your elbow to cough

Say "please don't cough over strangers, you don't know if you could put them in hospital."

Sorry, I'm probably oversensitive about this.