BUS STORY # 352 (Shorts 30)

Pluralism, a photo by busboy4 on Flickr.

I’m on the already-crowded 7:05 a.m. when a guy gets on, walks down the aisle and finds a seat up on the benches on the rear platform.  He sits down, then says in a loud voice, “Good morning!” No one answers. “Good morning, everyone,” he repeats.  “Good morning.  Good morning.” His voice booms.  No response.  No one even looks up.  He sits back in his seat, says “Tough crowd,” and pulls a book out of his bag.  I laugh, but not out loud.

***

He’s an old guy, mussed up gray hair, faded denim shirt and some hard-worked bluejeans, beat-up boots. His cell rings and this is what I hear: “Yeah...I’m on the bus. I’m goin’ back to work. I got off at three-thirty this morning...Yeah...Call me tomorrow around noon...Yeah.” It is 8:16 a.m.

***

T-shirt seen this morning on a kid on his way to high school:

Haters Target, downloaded from the website for Metal Mouth Apparel

***

Overheard: a rider greeting a co-rider who’s just boarded the bus the morning after a record Powerball jackpot drawing: “I guess you didn’t win the lottery, either.”