I have a new subject of amusement on my journey to work!
And I have decided to call him 'Mumbles'!
He is elderly, grey haired with a face like a character straight from Dickens - and he mumbles!
Constantly. Endlessly and seemingly without reason.
He sits in his cabin, hunched over the wheel, glances about furtively and mumbles.
Yesterday, sitting in my usual front seat, I thought at first that he was complaining about something to me; the traffic, the weather; something! Drivers often 'chat' to the front seat.
I guess they get a bit bored of their own company sometimes. But no, he just mumbles!
When passengers got on the bus he mumbled about "taking too much time" "Using the wrong ticket swipe" and didnt wait for anyone to sit down. Not even the elderly. They all went staggering up the aisle as he jerked away from the stop, still mumbling.
I tried to hear just what he was mumbling about. But it seemed to be quite random and usually directed at nothing in particular.
That is, until we got to Central. There he excelled himself. Taking the volume up a notch to actually complain to the passengers:
"All shoving on at once" "No tickets ready" "There are other buses you know'' "Why are you all getting on this one?" "What about that one behind us?" "Bloody daft!"
He kept up a steady stream of 'mumbling' as the passengers kept up a steady stream of boarding until the bus was so full, they were standing shoulder to shoulder by the front doors.
He looked at them standing there for a minute as they shuffled about self consciously and then shaking his head as he pulled the bus out from the stop, he began to mumble again:
"All packed in" "Must like it" "Should chuck 'em off "
The passengers nearby gave him sidelong glances and hung on tightly.
We passed a couple of stops without stopping and finally lurched to a halt at my request stop
The last words I heard from him as I squeezed past to get off were: "Hope I break down, that'll screw the buggers"!!
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Bruce Willis Again
I experienced a surprising and pleasant exchange with Bruce Willis this morning.
Not THE Bruce Willis of course, but the scowling, difficult and downright rude, bus driving Bruce Willis look alike of my earlier Blogs.
I had hobbled somewhat slowly to catch the bus; I was having trouble with a knee, exacerbated by the cold weather, when, pausing to climb on, I looked up into the steely blue eyes of 'the driver known only to me as Bruce Willis' and my heart sank!
I was a little taken aback by the fact he had waited for me and I smiled at him pleasantly and said "Thank you and good morning" and to my surprise, instead of the usual grunt, there was a hint of a smile and a "good morning" in return!
As I fed my ticket into the machine by his cabin, I asked "How are you?"
He nodded pleasantly and replied "Good thanks" and then actually waited for me to sit before pulling away and thus, sparing me the embarrassment of tottering down the aisle!
I was so impressed with his courtesy, I could only imagine he had been hauled over the coals for his earlier behavior. Though I could be wrong. Maybe it was just a good day?
He also showed incredible self control when an elderly man puffed up to a stop near the city and hauling himself on, proceeded to sit without a word of thanks and without proffering a ticket.
"Ticket please Sir', Bruce called out. "Yeah, when I get me breath back!" the old man yelled back tetchily.
He eventually clambered to his feet and fed the machine his ticket, all the time glaring at the driver.
The rest of the journey was unremarkable; with the possible exception of a cyclist who is probably still alive because Bruce was having a good day and didn't drive over him as he puffed along in front of us, painfully slowly and in the bus lane!
When we arrived at my stop I thanked him and wished him a 'safe day'. Another smile came my way.
As I slowly walked away from the bus stop, a woman came panting toward me, waving wildly at the the driver to wait.
I turned to watch.
As she reached the front of the bus, he calmly closed the doors and, smiling to himself, he drove away without her!
I guess his good humour had run out!!
Not THE Bruce Willis of course, but the scowling, difficult and downright rude, bus driving Bruce Willis look alike of my earlier Blogs.
I had hobbled somewhat slowly to catch the bus; I was having trouble with a knee, exacerbated by the cold weather, when, pausing to climb on, I looked up into the steely blue eyes of 'the driver known only to me as Bruce Willis' and my heart sank!
I was a little taken aback by the fact he had waited for me and I smiled at him pleasantly and said "Thank you and good morning" and to my surprise, instead of the usual grunt, there was a hint of a smile and a "good morning" in return!
As I fed my ticket into the machine by his cabin, I asked "How are you?"
He nodded pleasantly and replied "Good thanks" and then actually waited for me to sit before pulling away and thus, sparing me the embarrassment of tottering down the aisle!
I was so impressed with his courtesy, I could only imagine he had been hauled over the coals for his earlier behavior. Though I could be wrong. Maybe it was just a good day?
He also showed incredible self control when an elderly man puffed up to a stop near the city and hauling himself on, proceeded to sit without a word of thanks and without proffering a ticket.
"Ticket please Sir', Bruce called out. "Yeah, when I get me breath back!" the old man yelled back tetchily.
He eventually clambered to his feet and fed the machine his ticket, all the time glaring at the driver.
The rest of the journey was unremarkable; with the possible exception of a cyclist who is probably still alive because Bruce was having a good day and didn't drive over him as he puffed along in front of us, painfully slowly and in the bus lane!
When we arrived at my stop I thanked him and wished him a 'safe day'. Another smile came my way.
As I slowly walked away from the bus stop, a woman came panting toward me, waving wildly at the the driver to wait.
I turned to watch.
As she reached the front of the bus, he calmly closed the doors and, smiling to himself, he drove away without her!
I guess his good humour had run out!!
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