the bus
Today I rode the bus home from work. And for the first time in a very long time in Southern California, I felt oddly communal. Now, for some of you living in other parts of the world, taking the bus may not seem like such a strange thing. Here, in Southern California, it’s not often that you would take a bus, and even less often that you would want to call attention to the fact that you just had. If you tell people that you take the bus, they will usually respond with a sympathetic sigh and start telling you horrible stories of what a bad place they were in back when they had to take the bus. I don’t feel like I’m particularly in a bad place, so I am not really sure how to respond to that.
On the bus this evening, different from other times I have taken the same ride, people were actually talking to each other. It was loud and friendly, and it made me a bit uncomfortable. An almost-midget (very, very short) peppy girl helped me make sure I was getting on the right bus. A one-armed man kept trying to make conversation when I was pretty engrossed in my book. Eventually (slightly less than two blocks, actually) I grew uninterested in his line of questioning (he’s second year in law school), and kept glancing back to my book every time he took a breath. Although I didn’t notice his response, he quickly got on his cell phone and talked to the person about how horrible his day was because someone thought that a one-armed man couldn’t do proper plumbing. I would have wondered the same thing, but evidently he is very good at it (although he is still taking the bus).
I mentioned that I am not in a particularly bad place, which might require some detail. I rode the bus because I don’t have a car. I used to have a car, but had to give it up because I was touring too much for anyone to want to hire me. I gave up my car when it didn’t really matter if I had one or not, because I either sat at home or rode in a van of some sort. Now I have a job that I have to get to every day and no car to get there by.
It’s not really that bad, because I seldom have to take the bus. Normally, my girlfriend is more than happy to give me a ride to work and pick me up again to take me home. We go to the store together and I drive her car when we go to clubs. Sometimes she needs a night off. Today I told her I could get a ride home because she’s not allowed over because I’m working on music tonight. It’s a good arrangement, and I’m very grateful for the rides. Who wouldn’t be?
I am very much looking forward to getting a ride home from work tomorrow. I am praying to Santa to give me a car for Christmas…
On the bus this evening, different from other times I have taken the same ride, people were actually talking to each other. It was loud and friendly, and it made me a bit uncomfortable. An almost-midget (very, very short) peppy girl helped me make sure I was getting on the right bus. A one-armed man kept trying to make conversation when I was pretty engrossed in my book. Eventually (slightly less than two blocks, actually) I grew uninterested in his line of questioning (he’s second year in law school), and kept glancing back to my book every time he took a breath. Although I didn’t notice his response, he quickly got on his cell phone and talked to the person about how horrible his day was because someone thought that a one-armed man couldn’t do proper plumbing. I would have wondered the same thing, but evidently he is very good at it (although he is still taking the bus).
I mentioned that I am not in a particularly bad place, which might require some detail. I rode the bus because I don’t have a car. I used to have a car, but had to give it up because I was touring too much for anyone to want to hire me. I gave up my car when it didn’t really matter if I had one or not, because I either sat at home or rode in a van of some sort. Now I have a job that I have to get to every day and no car to get there by.
It’s not really that bad, because I seldom have to take the bus. Normally, my girlfriend is more than happy to give me a ride to work and pick me up again to take me home. We go to the store together and I drive her car when we go to clubs. Sometimes she needs a night off. Today I told her I could get a ride home because she’s not allowed over because I’m working on music tonight. It’s a good arrangement, and I’m very grateful for the rides. Who wouldn’t be?
I am very much looking forward to getting a ride home from work tomorrow. I am praying to Santa to give me a car for Christmas…