I’m about to enter the automated subway entrance near my work – tokens and magnetic passes only, please. I’m fishing around my pocket for a token while juggling my iPhone in the other hand when a guy who has just exited the cage doors of the station sees me and taps me on the shoulder. He takes out his pass and grunts a “Wanna go in free?” kind of grunt and makes a motion of swiping his own pass to let me in.

I mumble “no” and continue looking for my token.

He makes a bigger swiping motion with his pass and adds a “viola! You’re in!” flourish.

“No, I’m good,” I say finally finding my token.

I put in the box and push past him before he can count me as his accomplice in his gate scam. His hand shoots put to intercept my token with his pass.

I’m reminded of my refusal to enter Wellesley subay station a couple years back. The situation then was different, I was willing to pay then. This was just a blatant gate hop (like street gangs do in NYC movies).

I’m faster than him and my token falls before his card swipes. I push the gate and enter.

The TTC felon mutters “Asshole.”