Today I took the OC
Transpo bus after leaving the hospital.
I took Route 12…that runs down Montreal Road and Rideau Street to Bank
Street in front of my office building. I rarely take the bus as Serge and I drive in
to work each morning.
I was inspired to write
this blog post and share my thoughts on this very interesting trip and the
people who came along for the ride.
It all started at the bus
stop, where a witch with a pointy hat and green hair, stood holding a huge
bag...which is easily explained, this being Halloween and all. There was also a 20 year old guy waiting for
the bus. He was wearing a hoodie which was not helping keep him dry from the
rain. I debated whether to offer him to join me under
my umbrella. He probably would have
thought I was weird, so I decided not to ask. Too bad that I did not feel I could “pay it
forward” freely. Maybe next time I’ll
take a chance.
When I got on the bus, I
paid my fare and smiled at the bus driver.
Unfortunately, the smile was not returned. I’m not saying that all bus drivers are the
same by any means, but this particular one was not receptive. Maybe he was having a bad day...but one thing is certain, it's not an easy job.
There were already a lot of
people on the bus, I walked further back and debated who to sit with. It’s funny how we choose our seat partners
instead of choosing our seat location…at least it was the case for me. I sat beside a friendly looking lady as I
usually do whenever I take the bus.
Soon after an old
gentleman with a cane got on the bus and he had to hold on to dear life to get
to his seat as the bus was on the move the moment he paid his fare. No one got up to offer his/her seat so he sat
across from me in the empty seat near the door in the middle of the bus. He kept smiling my way. He
talked about the weather, the subject most people talk about when talking to a
stranger. We had a bit of back and forth but mostly smiling. I wondered if I would be the only person he would
have a conversation with during his day, thinking maybe he was lonely and
possibly living alone. I hoped that I
was bringing him a bit of happiness with the attention I was giving him.
An older lady (70+) dressed
as a zombie was sitting at the front and commenting on everything that was
happening and everyone that was getting on the bus. Most people were doing their best to ignore
her which was difficult because she was quite loud. She was obviously fond of Halloween and I
admired her spirit and spunk for dressing up even if she was way past the age
to trick or treat.
Then a young mother got
on the bus and everyone at the front had to move to make space for her baby
carriage. Most people moved graciously,
except this one gentleman who decided he wanted to keep his spot and waited for
others to give up their seat. This
earned him a few nasty stares from the others.
Perhaps he had a bad knee which would explain why his seat was so
precious to him.
Next came a portly black man
with a duffle bag. He told the bus
driver that he was going to look in his bag for change to pay his fare. He looked… and looked… and looked and still
was not finding his money. The bus
driver had decided he was not going to move until the guy paid. He rummaged through his bag some more and
still…no change. It was several long
minutes and you could see people getting annoyed. I was tempted to just get up and give him
the money…anything to get moving… but I was farther back and the isle was full
of people. The young mother took out 2
tickets and gave them to the man. I
wanted to applaud her, thinking she's young, has a baby to take care of and still was
willing to give up 2 tickets. The
gentleman thanked her with a smile and walked to the back of the bus. I wondered if maybe he did this often or if
it was just a matter of not finding his change today.
Two older women got on
the bus. They were dressed to a “T”….with
nice hats, gloves and purses…the kind of ladies you would see going to Sunday church. What struck me was that one of the women sat
in a seat that was empty and instead of sitting near the window, she sat near
the isle and put her bag and purse on the empty seat. I was dumbfounded that she would be so
selfish. I then wondered what her story
was and why she would think that she could take 2 seats…especially since there
were others standing. When people walked
past her, she never offered to move staring straight ahead. Surprisingly, not one asked her to move. She got off at the Rideau Center and went on
her merry way.
A guy and a girl, both
wearing Halloween costumes, got on next. The
girl was wearing grungy clothes and had fake bloody cuts everywhere on her face and
neck. The guy was wearing a red form
fitting body suit that completely covered his face, mouth and nose (he only had
small holes for his eyes). The bus driver
did not say anything and let him on. He
somehow seemed threatening to me. Funny
enough, once he moved to the back, a message came over the loud speaker that
said: If anyone notices any illegal
activity please let the bus driver know as we value the safety of our
riders. Coincidence, maybe…or was it the
bus driver’s subtle way of pointing out that he was watching and so should we.
As I was sitting there,
looking at society and all these peoples who are part of it, I thought to
myself, how interesting and diverse we are.
Each one of us has a story to tell and a life to live. In most cases, we can only guess what the
people around us are thinking and going through.
I think it’s good to get
me out of my comfort zone or glass bubble, as it reminds me that although we are all different, at
the same time, we are all the same. We are
running against time most of us trying to mind our own business and get to our
destination with all our quarkiness and individuality.
Although we take different
paths throughout our lives, and may never get to share but a fleeting moment
with a stranger here and there, in the end, we are all going to dissembark at the same stop.
That is indeed, food for thought!
That is indeed, food for thought!
