Bus Adventures, Part 1

I take the bus a lot. In fact, I take it a minimum of 10 times a week (twice a day, Monday-Friday). For the most part, the ride is rather uneventful. And if you take the bus a lot, you get used to seeing certain people. Like the woman who's on my bus in the morning quite frequently. She's almost always chewing gum...with her mouth open. Always.

Anyhow, the ride is usually pretty un-eventful but every now and then, you get a unique character on the bus. That happened on the ride home this evening and unfortunately, it happened to me.

Near the back door of the accordion buses, there is a 3 bench seat. Each of the 3 seats is segmented off so it's clear that there are 3 seats. I was sitting by myself in the seat on the left. About 3 stops after mine, a man gets on and comes and sits beside me. Rather than sitting in the far right seat, he sits in the middle of the 2 unoccupied seats, which means that he's actually sitting on the metal part rather than the seat. Ok, whatever. As the bus starts to move and hits bumps and stuff, the man keeps falling over and of course, he keeps falling towards me. I try to ignore him.

I'm listening to my iPod and had just finished sending an email on my phone so I was now just going through my in-box when the man leans over, looks at me, then my phone and says "What's the temperature out?". Thankfully, my iPod was on low enough that I actually heard him. I look up and just say "I have no idea" and then go back to reading my emails. He thinks about my answer for about 45seconds then looks at me again and said "Sorry. I guess I shouldn't have asked."

What?? He didn't say it in a rude or sarcastic tone or anything so I really have no idea where he was going with that. I just replied with "no problem." I think pulled out my book and started reading. Strange man looks at me again and then leans back in the seat, stretches out his legs and rests his hands on his chest, as if he was at home on the couch. And he was still sitting in the middle of the 2 seats.

Thankfully strange man got off the bus shortly there after and my book and I were left in peace.
When I see someone with ear phones in, I don't get a sudden urge to talk to them. Ditto for people reading a book or paper or playing on their phone. It's kind of the universal signal for "leave me alone". It's not that I'm being anti-social, it's just that usually I'm either not awake yet and need to listen to some loud rock music to wake me the hell up, or I'm coming home from work and am listening to loud rock music as a way of dealing with my day so that I don't snap and terrorize everyone on the bus.

Some people I tell ya.

Good Night!

Sarah

I don't have a bus photo, so I'm using a train.