The Bus Ride

Riding the bus is not my favorite way to travel, but if you are like me, low on funds, do not own a car, or your destination is too far to walk or to trust your luck at hitchhiking, riding the bus is your next best choice. So, I chose the Greyhound and waited in a crowded station for an announcer to call my boarding number. I wanted to go to the bathroom but was afraid of missing my call over the loud noises, so I stayed in my seat.

Sitting on a crowded bus with babies whose diapers need changing, small children in their bare feet walking the dirty aisle, and frustrated adults is an ordeal. I have been riding the same bus since leaving New York, only getting off when the driver stopped at one of the many stations to pick up new riders or let passengers have a fifteen-minute break to stretch their legs, smoke a cigarette, or use the bathroom, with overflowing commodes. I chose not to exit the bus to buy food that cost twice as much as it does in a grocery store, so I decided to remain on the bus.

After the old riders returned and claimed their seats, the bus driver let the new passengers on. Many of these new riders had large stuffed backpacks and crammed suitcases. The new occupants made the already crowded bus worse. According to my ticket, I had to change buses at the next stop. When I got off the bus and hurried into the station, they were already calling my bus number: “If you are going to Montgomery, Auburn, or Tuskegee, Alabama, go to station three for boarding.” Since this was the bus that I was boarding, I, with my suitcase of a few belongings, hurried out of the musty waiting room to station three, where the bus was filling up with passengers.

The driver stood at the bottom of the door and asked to see my ticket. After observing him peruse my ticket and his long pause afterward, I was afraid I was at the wrong bus. I asked, “Is something wrong?” He said, “No, but you will have to step aside until the ones who came in on the bus are boarded first.” As I continued to wait, I could hear the announcement again: “If you are going to Montgomery, Auburn, or Tuskegee, Alabama, go to station three. This is the last call.”  

I finally boarded the bus and found a seat all the way in the back, near the bathroom. I observed all the different women with children, men in dirty T-shirts, physically challenged people, teenagers, hippies, and older people sitting in front and on both sides of the bus, and the different cultures and ethnicities – a true melting pot. I wondered where they were going or coming from. The man wearing the dirty clothes and shoes – is he an undercover detective? The man wearing the wrinkled suit – a serial killer? And the woman clutching her purse – a saboteur? The bus driver closed the door and drove off.   

Finally reaching my destination, I stood and looked out the window and saw my favorite Aunt Sue waiting for me. When we arrived at her house, she insisted that I call my mother and tell her that I had arrived. Later, I took a shower and ate the best food since leaving New York. I will be living with Aunt Sue while I am enrolled in college. After my shower, I took a nap and began dreaming that I was still on the bus. I hurried to the bus door, and as I began to step off, I heard my mother say, “Wake up! Wake up! This is the last call I am going to make, young woman. Get out of that bed before you miss your bus to Tuskegee, Alabama”.