Technology increases chances to see porn in public

NOWHERE TO HIDE: The culprits could be anywhere -- a crowded train, an SUV on the Beltway. (Michael Williamson/the Washington Post)

Especially when the library was full, she was never quite sure how to deal with the situation. What's the etiquette here? Shoot the offender dirty looks? Drag in a defenseless librarian? Innocently ask the guy how much longer his studies would take?

Or just make the best of a gross situation?

We're all adults here

Sandi Benedetti, a bartender in Northeast Washington, was catching some extra sleep on a long morning Metro ride when a guy in a business suit took the seat next to her -- the only one available on the rush-hour train.

"He sits down, reaches into this leather bag, gets his laptop, and suddenly I'm hearing Ah Ah Ah Ah AhAhAhAh!" She tried to ignore it, but the volume was loud enough for other passengers to hear it, too. "The guy in front of us turns back and glares at me! Like he thinks I'm with this guy! And then the woman across the aisle, too."

She thought about saying something, or circling her finger at her temple in the universal crazy gesture -- anything to demonstrate that she had no part in this guy's morning wakeup call. But Benedetti is an adventurous gal, and as the train chugged on she began to ask herself when a bizarre event like this might happen again. "I was already being blamed for the porn anyway, so I figured I'd just play along."

She leaned into her seatmate and started watching.

"Dude smiles at me," she says, "and then we both just watch together. Stop before mine, he packs up the computer and gets off. We never said a word."

Just two consenting adults, on their way to work.