"Lost"

I have always wanted to travel.
Even as a child I dreamed of adventures that took me to other countries.

I had a 'thing' about 'Red Indians' as we called them back then.  Native Americans now.  I wanted to go to America and live with them!  I have no idea why!
Oh, actually, I do... I used to attend Primary School in England with a little boy called Johnny 'Running Bear' something or other.  I don't recall his family name.  He spoke with an American accent and had brown skin and we played every lunch time at cowboys and Indians.  He said he was from a Sioux Indian tribe. He certainly looked like a red Indian.
He was there only for a short time so I guess he could have been genuine.  Anyhow, I was left with a lifelong love for them.

I never did get to America.  Half a century later I am an east coast Australian Citizen and I couldn't really have travelled any further away from my homeland. But never, in the intervening years, did I manage to explore another other country in any depth.  A quick day trip with a school to Boulogne when I was 15 and a pretty horrible soggy kiss on the quay from a French boy, whose name I still recall was Alain, was all I experienced. It put me off French men for life!

I grew up in an age when an overseas trip was for the rich and famous and the usual, long awaited family holiday, was a day trip to the seaside.  I remember well, the pebble beaches that crunched awkwardly underfoot and the chilly waters of the English Channel lapping over my little bare feet.

So, coming to Australia was a monumental journey for me. I came for love, and grew to love this country too.
Though sometimes, I manage to explore bits of it I don't actually intend....

One evening, after a long tiring day at work, I waited as usual for my red metro bus to take me home and suddenly remembered my ticket had expired .
I hurried into a nearby shop to buy a new one and seeing my bus arrive at the stop, dashed out and straight onto the bus.

I made myself comfortable in a side facing seat and was soon immersed in watching an episode of my favourite series 'Fringe', on my iPad.
Being winter, the darkness quickly grew outside and I occasionally looked up to see the lights of the buildings in George St and the increasing dazzle of traffic.

My episode of Fringe was enthralling and I was lost in the intrigue and excitement.
People got on and off the bus and I eventually came to the end of the episode.

When next I looked up, the world outside seemed strange.  I had expected to see the familiar surroundings of Anzac Parade by this time and yet I didnt recognise anything that I could see.  I craned forward to look out of the front of the bus and to my utter horror, saw a huge roadsign that said words to the effect: 'Freeway- Liverpool'!

I was on the wrong bus!
Quickly thrusting my iPad into my bag, I scuttled up the gangway to the driver and announced, with a calmness I didn't feel, that I was 'on the wrong bus'!  I had meant to catch the M10 !
"You're on the M30, which goes to Spit Junction" he told me with a chuckle! He seemed to find the whole episode highly amusing.  My calamity was probably the highlight of his day!
He grinned at me and said I could travel with him to the end of the route and then return to the city or I could get off at the next stop -Neutral Bay - and catch a bus back into the city myself.
I chose the latter!  I'd not heard of Spit Junction let alone had a clue where it would be!
I didn't want to end up any further away from the comfort of a city known to me, than I needed to be!

"Didn't you notice when we crossed the HUGE Harbour bridge" he asked? 
'I was between two worlds at the time' I told him weakly; indicating my iPad and made reference to the Fringe Sci-Fi series!

A short journey on and we reached  the next stop. He wished me well as he set me down in the middle of a strange town on a dark and frankly alarming, night!!
It was a long time since I had been truly lost!  I was probably about 3 the last time and had wandered away from my mum in a shop, only to grab what I thought was her coat and look up into a the face of a complete stranger.  My subsequent screams brought my real mum running to claim me!
I wasn't about to scream but definitely felt the pangs of alarm as I crossed the busy highway to the bus stop opposite.  I was definitely out of my comfort zone!

Once I was sure I was in the right place and only had minutes to wait for my bus back to the city; I called other half and told him of my mis-adventure.
 
When he had stopped laughing - which seemed a considerable length of time - he kindly offered to pick me up!  I thought I could manage the trip into Sydney so we finally agreed; I would find my way back to the city and he could collect me from there.

"Didn't you notice you were crossing a HUGE bridge" he asked, still laughing

I just sighed and waited patiently for the next bus.