You never know what's going to happen when you get on a bus. Sure, you know what your destination is, but it's what happens on the way there that is always a question mark. Since I'm a person that tries to conserve energy, I take the bus whenever I can, instead of using the car. Most of the time the ride is uneventful, at other times things can get strange -- it all depends on the kind of people that get on the bus. And believe me, you get to see all kinds.
A couple of weeks ago, in the middle of the worst heat wave this summer, I decided to go by bus, to a place that was too far to walk in the brutal heat and sun. So I'm standing at the bus stop, when this semi-good-looking young guy approaches the small group that was standing -- waiting for the bus.
Unfortunately for us, this young guy seemed to be under the influence of something, as he was bare-chested, holding his shirt in his hands and waving it like a flag. He had a bandana tied around his forehead, and was laughing and shouting how high he was, as he kept jumping into the oncoming steady stream of traffic that kept zooming by -- daring them to hit him!
Naturally, we kept our distance from him, as we tried to ignore him and keep talking among ourselves. Of course, he noticed our behavior and made a beeline for us as he kept telling us -- how crazy he was, all this, as he kept jumping in front of cars, that did their best to avoid hitting him. We kept desperately scanning the distance for our bus, as the guy appeared to wander off about a block from the bus stop.
When -- finally! we saw our bus headed our way. Hooray! we said, we can get away from this lunatic! But, no...the guy came running back and quickly got into the bus, as the doors were about to close. To my dismay, he took a seat right behind me. And then proceeded to take a backpack he had with him, took out a deodorant and proceeded to apply it. Then he took out a different shirt, put it on, then he began shaving with this portable electric razor. In all, he acted as if he were all by himself in his home. After shaving, he then took out this thermos, and began drinking from it, what smelled like alcohol. Mind you, he's ranting to himself and the world, all kinds of weird stuff.
While he's doing all this, the rest of us on the bus, did our best to pretend that what he was doing, was as normal as reading the newspaper. The bus driver, just kept glancing at him occasionally from the rear-view mirror. It seemed like an eternity, but I reached my destination, and as I got out, actually felt sorry for this guy. Here was a young person, who from his actions and by his demeanor, gave the impression that he was not ignorant or uneducated, yet was destroying his life -- for the temporary illusion of feel-good that whatever he was on, was giving him.
