Local Transit: The Bus
I was 19 years old. At the time I had recently moved into my own crappy first apartment, but due to growing up poor and with low income I had not yet bothered to get my Driver's license nor a vehicle. Usually my work shifts were nights ending around 11 pm each night. Living in a northern state I would bike to and from work during the summer months and either walk or catch the local bus during the winter. Being a small city, the bus system would stop running routes at midnight. Sporadically earlier depending on the route and time of year. I guess based on popularity and need to have have empty bus rolling around in the dark.
This night I finally wrapped up at work after a busy and short staffed day at roughly 12:15am. Not even thinking about the fact that I didn't have the option for a bus ride home, I was just happy to be off work.
Being late May and a comfortably cool outside, I felt the three mile walk would be refreshing.
About a mile down the road I notice headlights from behind and then the distinctive spit and sputter of the airbrakes of a bus. The beast rolled up beside me and the doors swung open.
"Hey, how's it going? I'm off duty but I can try to at least make your trip a bit shorter before I have to return to the station." Happily greeted the bus driver, an older man about mid to late 40swith a bit of a pudgy body, slightly balding.
I stopped and look at him with a furrowed brow "Are you sure?You probably are in a hurry to get home."
"Hop in. It's no trouble. I'm the last one to always be back at the station. I do all the clean up and lock up so I'm in no hurry." He replied.
As I stepped forward and climbed the steps I thanked him and took a seat in the first row and to the right. No need to make it more awkward by sitting awayfrom him after him doing this kind gesture for me.
"So how far from the station do you live?" He asked as the bus lumbered back up to speed.
"About five blocks west." I said.
He immediately chimed up with his voice getting even louder "OH HELL THEN! I could just swing out of my way a few blocks."
I asked with concern "Are you sure? You don't have to -"
He cut me off "No worries, young buck. It will actually give me a chance to make a quick stop over there that could save me time on my drive home later."
"Oh Okay" I exclaimed with a more happier tone.
After bit of us chatting pointlessly about the weather and the city roads in order to just not be riding along in silence, I noticed after detouring from his initial path that we were only a couple streets away from my place.
He quickly changed the conversation almost at the same time I noticed our location "Oh hey, I have to cut down this alley real quick."
