Last night, I decided to save a little gas money and the ozone by taking local transportation to City last night. It was dark by 6p on the corner of Masonic and Fulton where I waited for no less than ten minutes before the 43 arrived. There were about ten other people waiting with me and a grumpy guy in a wheelchair. I headed straight to the rear of the bus and sat down in one of the left facing side seats. I attempted to look nonchalant and bored while glancing at my fellow passengers without making direct eye contact. Then I got tired and dozed off. Head bobbing and body jerking ensued throughout the bus ride and I think I got side whip lash from the driver pounding on the accelerator and slamming on the break every 20 seconds. Total bus ride to school: 40 minutes.
After gym and dance class, I checked Nextbus for the 43 schedule so I wouldn't be waiting long in the chilly air for the bus. The 43 arrived five minutes later. There were fewer passengers on the bus after 10p, obviously. Of the passengers, several of us looked like we just got out of class; tired, withdrawn and lifeless. Then there are the interesting "others". One man who appeared to be in his mid-40s, with black hair past his shoulders and a puffy, red jacket, wore black shoes with a platform glued to the soles. The guy wasn't that short but I suppose a little extra height doesn't hurt. What was odd was that his left shoe had a higher platform, about 3 inches, than the right shoe, which only had 1.5 inch. Maybe one leg was longer than the other. Then another guy came on board and proceeded to have a one-way conversation about what he ate that day. I didn't dare take a nap on the bus. Everyone kept to themselves and no one encroached on one another's person space. The ride wasn't as jerky but it was pitch black out and I marveled at how well the driver maneuvered through the winding residential streets without sideswiping parked cars. Total time to my stop: 30 minutes.
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