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May 08, 2008
Sweet Bus Stop Surprise
I've been riding the bus this week since the weather is nice and I don't have to get up so early. I like the bus for meeting interesting characters and having little adventures and actually interacting with my city. Usually my anecdotes, I'm sure you know since I've shared a few, involve me getting hit on a lot or something of that ilk. But today I have a really wonderful bus stop anecdote.
I just barely missed the bus I was hoping to show up in time for, and had to sit and wait a while. Just as I sat to hang out under the bus sign, it began to rain. I tried to arrange my things so they'd stay as dry as possible and settled in for a damp wait. There was a large group of folks at a picnic table several yards away that provided interesting people watching. They were drinking from a bottle in a paper bag and shouting at one another and kept "crossing the street," read: flinging themselves into the road and almost getting hit by cars. I was relieved when they decided to stay put under their umbrella. I was so wrapped up in nervously watching their attempts to help a very slow Yoda-like old woman crossing the street I didn't notice an older gentleman crossing the street in my peripheral vision.
He came up and held a very large blue and white striped umbrella over my head, and explained that he had seen my sitting in the rain and since he didn't have anywhere to be for a while thought he'd keep me dry until my bus came. He sat down with me and held the umbrella over both of us and we chatted as much as his tendency to mumble would allow. He used to live in Florida apparently, and was having some medical trouble, and had taken the day off of work because his arm was bothering him a great deal. When my bus rolled up, he introduced himself and shook my hand and wished me well before ambling on down to wherever he was originally headed. A real class act.
The past few older fellows I've interacted with have included the belligerent fool in the Chicago airport and a fellow who decided to lurk outside my dressing room at Unclaimed Baggage in Scottsboro and kept asking how whatever I tried on looked, because he had wanted to see for himself. Therefore this sweet old gentleman with the umbrella is a real blessing, restoring my faith in older gents and people in general. I hope he gets back to Florida soon like he wanted to, so he can soak up the sun and good vibes. Wherever he ends up, I wish him the best.
| By Spike | 06:14 PM
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