Worlds on a Bus

I love being out in the world, among the populous! There is such an amazing variety of people in this world, & I love finding myself among them.
One of the best places for this to happen is using public transportation, whether it be subways, or taxis, or busses (etc.). During the course of any given day, these places become rampant with life, & worlds & stories the rest of us can only guess at.

Recently, I had a lovely "people" experience whilst riding our local route number 8, bus #5796, here in Amarillo, TX.
I was headed downtown, to the central Library location--which is the next block up from the transfer station, across the street.
For $.75, I can ride an entire route, & get a transfer to another bus if I need, included! The bus fares here are great! A huge change from Massachusetts, where I had last ridden the public bus, & it cost $1.25 per person, one way, one bus. But most things seem cheaper here in Texas than the North-East (but that's another article in itself!).

It must've been around 9:30 in the morning, & the driver of this bus/route had probably driven it 4 or 5 times already that Thursday. But he still gets points for greeting me with a lively "Good morning!" He made me smile, & my day so much better. He asked me if I needed a transfer, to which I replied no thank you, & then took my seat, opposite him, 3 seats back.

I love front seats ( or as close to the front as I can manage)--though they can give the slipped disk in my neck a problem. But it seems the front of the bus is where most of the action happens. When I am with my husband, we try to sit with our backs flat against the back of the bus, nearer the air conditioner, & more in the calm (as he prefers). It's also better for me, given that i sometimes get car sickness.
But when by myself, I ride front & center! You miss things if you are way back there. And no one wants to talk to you, it seems.

As we got started, we turned a sharp corner to view a woman in a small red car holding a large drinking mug in one hand, & balancing her cell phone & driving with the other! Lord only knows how she drove & didn't cause any accidents...I don't even think she glanced up at us as we came close!

So many people got on & off the bus between my stop & the station...I wondered about their stories & lives & moods...

A woman boarded, sitting opposite me. She was smartly dressed in a lovely black & white top & long black skirt, & the coolest dress sandals I had ever seen. She carried a soft leather briefcase-looking-thing, & sat with perfect posture. But she didn't look tired from work, or stressed, or focused. She smiled kindly, & said hello. She had perfect manicured hands & feet, & I wondered what she was on her way to do, or where...She ended up getting off the bus at an un-prominent location, saying "Y'all have a lovely day," as she did. That was nice. I hoped she had a lovely day as well.

Towards the back sat an African-American couple that had boarded the bus with me, at my stop. The woman had started talking to me right away before we got on the bus, first asking me when the bus was scheduled, then asking me if I was a worker at a local hotel.
I told her no, I was new here, & she went on in an excited tone about how much I looked like that other woman, & how she was almost sure. She told me that they say everyone has a twin...This isn't the first time since I've moved here that people have mistaken me (on the bus no less) for someone native here! Maybe I should look into a doppelganger! Or a twin I never knew of. Hmm...

I love the Amarillo busses for another reason, besides being cheap. They have a lighted board that is at the front of the bus, flashing the time, day, & every (major) stop the bus makes. But as well as that, there is a pre-recorded male Texan voice that announces each one as well! He is so pleasant to hear. I don't know how he knows we're nearing the stop, but he is very consistent!
The Amarillo public busses also have another feature I was not used to in MA--seat-belts! After each door closing, the male voice says: "Don't forget to fasten your seat-belts!"
They were a bit cumbersome & took some getting used to on a bus, but they're a cool feature.

At one stop near a medical center, a man ran up to the bus late, catching his breath as he stepped on. The driver instantly knew him, probably as a regular, remarking, "Hey now! You're not supposed to be doing that, I don't think!"
"Yeah, Yeah, I know, heh," the other replied with a smile. It was funny to see them pass conversation like old friends. They probably only know each other from the man's 15 minute ride whenever he needs the bus--but it is enough to form a bond & make a friend.
The two men went on to discuss how many staples the boarding man had received from his recent surgery (50!), & how many the driver had gotten when he'd got his (don't know what type they were talking about, but they knew).
The driver was extremely kind & attentive--both to the man sitting behind him, & every other passenger that stepped on or off the bus. Quite a feat, if you ask me, in today's day & age.

Another man boarded, this one with a very serious expression, & a set of bulky looking headphones on. He only removed them for a moment as he boarded, to ask for his transfer.
No smiles from him. But no mean looks either, it just seemed like he was focused on his world, & what was going on in it, & had no time for the world on the bus. Which is understandable, as many people don't. And life is so busy sometimes, how can we possibly make time to smile at every joe schmoe?

He replaced his headphones as soon as he got his seat-belt on. I don't know what he was listening to, but I couldn't stop glancing in his direction. His headphones were connected to a Walkman. A cassette Walkman!! As in cassette tapes! Do people still own them?! Aren't they illegal? I was impressed at his bravery. And his obvious ability to hold on to classics.
Even I still have a VCR, & quite a collection of VHS tapes. I mean, how could I not, when many classics still aren't on DVD yet, & they are usually $1 or less at your local video store as they clear them out?! Classics rock.

When I glanced back around again, the man & woman I'd met before boarding the bus were cute, & resting, she with her head on his shoulder.
The bus had suddenly gone silent, it seemed, though moments before there had been conversation. But there always seems to be this point sooner or later.

There was a young man sitting next to me that had not said a word the whole ride, nor lifted his head, even. He seemed to be one of a typical youth, long dark hair unbrushed, & hanging over his eyes, bulky clothing--which seems totally unnecessary in Amarillo's 95* heat!--a backpack & hunched shoulders. He bolted off the bus, completely oblivious to the driver or the ride, it seemed. But he too had quite a story, I'm sure. Hopefully there are people who care enough, in his world, to delve into it.

There are always one or two people who get on the bus who seem to homeless, or very poor at least, & you feel for them. They often hoard their things close, & talk of nonsense. But their stories, I am sure, are filled with life & lessons, & interesting tidbits most of us don't think about.
I make sure I give them a smile.

I rode the bus for probably about 20 minutes only that day. But in that time, I saw many people come, & go.
And I was included in the 30+minute world of #5796, leaving with a mind full of people, & how intricate everyone's lives are, & how we often cross other people's worlds without so much as a "how's it going?", or "nice shirt,"--missing, perhaps, part of a wonderful place.

On Saturday, I rode the same route again--but this time, it was a different driver, & many different people, bringing themselves & their worlds onto the bus, without even knowing!