smelly men in buses

i was running late, as usual. i'm always running late. but today the stress was elevated as i had a bus to catch. the bus didn't care if i needed to be at work on time, it had a schedule to keep. i walked briskly with my bags slung over each shoulder, wishing i was just wearing my runners and a t-shirt so i could jog to the bus instead of attempt to look cute in the midst of the adventure.

i walked up to the bus stop and addressed the safest looking person i could find to ensure i was in the right place. a middle aged hispanic woman dressed in scrubs assured me i was in the right place. i told her it was my first time. i was an american bus-riding virgin, and she seemed eager to help me figure it all out. "you pay $1.25 for each bus you take, but a day pass is only $2.50, so if you have to take more than one bus you might as well just get the day pass. and you need exact change." i was pleased than i put the three crumpled dollars in my pocket along with a few quarters. this was going to work out perfectly!

the bus arrived and i was nervous to get on, nervous to pay my payment and unsure what all i needed to do. as i stepped onto the bus the man behind the wheel, a jolly looking black man, told me the ride was free. "we're all jammed up today." people were standing and holding onto those plastic loops attached to metal bars lining the roof of the bus. i found a place to sit where i could get a good look at everyone and tried to appear as though i had been here before.

so many different kinds of people ride the bus! friends, family, elderly people, business folk, and even little children on their way to school. it was interesting to see people still in the process of life, but life on the bus. children were putting their shoes on and practicing tying them. a mother and daughter got into an argument, another pair were talking about abstract mathematics.

a man in a chef's uniform sat next to me and i thought this was a good opportunity to get a free meal at a nice restaurant. i found he is actually a cook, not a chef...big difference. and he continued to ask me my favorite meals and telling me what he was cooking at his place tonight. i felt a little uncomfortable but he helped me out with pulling the cord after my first hour ride down southern as the bus approached 7th street. you've gotta pull that cord or else the bus man might just drive on by. this made me nervous, my palms were sweaty. who knew it could be so complex?!

i walked with another guy to the connecting bus stop, he works for corporate america in downtown phoenix and takes the bus once a week. i thought that was pretty cool. my generalizations were dissolving by the hours.

the 7th street bus does a few loopty loops just in case you ever ride up north on this one. i was confident by broadway that i was on the wrong bus as we made a left turn and headed west. i walked up to the front of the bus and asked the driver but he assured me i was in the right place. i decided to trust him and just go along with the adventure as the scenery changed. the bus was a little more empty and i was the only white girls riding anymore. i was sitting up in the front and decided to move back a little more. i was afraid some people might have the image of the past in their minds, the whites in front, blacks in back. that's the image i had at least and i wanted to be sure that i wasn't contributing to any sort of images for others. so i moved back.

a bunch of construction men joined and i found myself in the lucky position between two sweaty men. the one on the left had really bad breath and was yawning a lot...not nice. every time he yawned i leaned over to the opposite side to take a deep breath. this continued until i reached my destination.

i walked off the bus empowered. i totally did it...and i was early to work for the first time, ever.

the ride home was somewhat similar. i again asked those at the bus stop if i was on time for an earlier bus and they all smiled at me encouraging. these were an older crew so i felt more comfortable. i got onto the bus and sat next to a man who stared out the window his entire ride. he smelled good and had a kind face so i felt comfortable. he laughed as a very obese woman in very small shorts got off the bus, commenting that she needed to buy bigger clothes. i laughed too and was delighted at what caught his attention. its fun when people give you a glimpse of their inner workings.

i made my way back to southern with the high school kids filling up the bus near southern. i was glad to get off and walk towards my next bus stop to wait.

after waiting over 20 minutes at the bus stop a metro city van pulled up and a man shouted, "this is the bus." i got on while the other three waiting did not. i worried once i got inside that i had been tricked. on the normal bus you weren't allowed to have food or drinks. this van smelled like mcdonald's fries and the man i sat next to was drinking a forty out of a paper bag. i wondered if i should tell on him or let it slide. maybe he'd give me a swig, then i'd be alright. i didn't have to pay for this ride either, the bus broke down...i could've been waiting for over an hour if i'd stuck with the others at my stop.

we made it back to good 'ol alma school. i moved into the front of the van once the front seat was empty and chatted with the driver and attempted to help him out getting others into the van. a very large man entered the van and the only space available was on the floor. the driver kept the windows rolled down to keep the scent out of our nostrils. we bonded because of that.

it was an adventure for sure. not worth the four hours but totally worth the experience, the new-found confidence. i didn't want to be afraid of anything, you know?! i imagined that only a certain kind of person took the bus and i would avoid too much eye contact when walking past a bus stop. but now i feel like we are one, we bus riding humans. and i would totally do it again. totally....