Proofread my love letter
Bakersfield, California. 105 degrees, and I am waiting for the 2 to show. At the bus stop is a guy who, for whatever reason, is wearing a heavy flannel shirt. Out of nowhere, he asks, “Can I ask you what your opinion of this is?” I didn’t really say yes or no, and had no idea what he was referring to. As we board the bus, he proceeds to tell me that he has written a love note to his fiancee, and he is unsure whether he should give it to her or not. Continue reading ‘Proofread my love letter’
Sleepy behind the wheel
The best bus stories are told in the garages where drivers swap tales. Perhaps there is a shared need to confirm that each is not the only one experiencing some of the strangeness that occurs out there. One day there was a discussion of getting sleepy while behind the wheel. John mentioned that he was once stopped at the railroad tracks on West Seventh. “I looked up and the train was passing, I looked up again and it was long gone.” Booker said, “I was stopped at the light on Snelling and University when I dozed off. A woman tugged my sleeve and said the light was green and I could go. I tried to play it off by saying I was reading my paddleboard [schedule]. She asked if I snored when I read.
Jesus will save our bowels
A friend and I were in Chicago for St. Patrick’s day last year. On our very first bus ride of the trip, down to the hostel where our friends were staying, an extremely large woman got on the bus. This woman took the seat right next to my friend. The unique thing was that as she was getting on the bus, she was rambling and raving about something. Continue reading ‘Jesus will save our bowels’
A cheap ride
I was a poor college student who only had bus fare for a non-peak ride. Unfortunately, it was peak time. I got on the bus and dropped in the non-peak fare, avoiding eye contact with the driver, and began making my way to the back. The driver said “Hey, it’s peak, you owe more money,” etc., and I ignored him and sat down. I snuck a peek at him and he was yelling at me to come up and pay more money. So…I kept ignoring me and pretended I was deaf. Everyone on the bus was turning around and looking at me while the driver yelled at me, and I just calmly stared out the window, “oblivious.” Eventually he just gave up and I rode for cheap.
