Sometimes weird things happen on the bus that aren't really that absurd, just odd (although I do think my bar for absurdity has risen). None of them are really long enough to write a whole entry about, but I think by now I have enough compiled in my brain to write some short stories (if you will) about them.
For example, last Friday I was sitting on the bus, looking out the window, as I prefer to do. We reached a stop. Only one person was waiting to board the bus. He was a medium-height man with a goofy looking face and a trench coat. Anywhere but the bus, this might have looked sketchy, but what used to be feigned indifference is now genuine indifference. I hardly noticed him, until the doors opened and he literally hopped onto the bus. My usually cynical self had a moment of optimism. Instead of being weirded out by his enthusiasm, I saw it as refreshing. Sure, there was something off about him, but he was happy, so whatever. I saw in the reflection of the glass that he sat behind me. Again, whatever. We rode the bus. A few stops later, I felt an intentional pressure on my shoulder, and then something lightly pulling my hair. The man had tapped my shoulder and petted my hair. Slightly alarmed, I turned around.
"You have nice hair. It's wavy." the man said. I thanked him, smiled politely, and turned back to the window. Slightly odd experience, but such is life.
This next one is over a period of time. Some time last semester, space on the bus was limited, so I was sitting directly between two people. This was before I learned to keep my headphones in at all times, so as we approached my stop, I paused my music and put my iPod away. The man to my right took advantage of this to tell me about his life. The problem was that I didn't understand almost anything he said. I got that he had at some point served in a military. I don't know if it was the US military, or whatever country he was from (the accent was indistinguishable to me). I understood when he asked me my name, and so I told him my name was Jillian. We had about a 5 minute conversation, but I really don't know what it was about. He didn't smell very good, and he had some teeth missing. I got off the bus a stop early, so I could end the conversation. I felt kind of bad, but mostly relieved to be done with that. A couple months later, I was waiting for the bus to go home after I finished my classes. I was sitting in the bus stop, when this same man walks up and says very enthusiastically "Hi, Jillian." He still didn't smell very good. I still didn't know what he was saying. I knew if I got on the same bus as him, he would talk to me until one of us got off. I decided it was worth getting home a little later to avoid that scenario. I made up something about forgetting something, crossed the street, circled the student center, and then went back to the bus stop. He was gone. I haven't seen him since, but part of me expects to see him soon. You could say I'm overdue.
Another time I was sitting there, a man was getting off. I didn't think much of it, since, being a bus, people get on and off it all the time. I was looking at my iPod (on shuffle) to find a song to listen to, when he passed me, and tapped my back. I looked up, surprised. He smiled at me, and got off the bus. Sometimes it's hard to believe that all of these people exist in separate lives, and aren't just the same person. Somehow they manage to startle me every time.
