Bruce's Close Encounter

Two hours after to getting to work and I'm still smiling to myself.

It all started around 7am when I was walking from the car park to the bus stop on my way to work this morning. 
Who should be walking in front of me, back to his bus, but "Bruce Willis'!
He really is a huge guy; well over six feet tall, big boned and well muscled, he walks with the swagger of a tough man and is very 'Australian' in his shorts and ever present Akubra hat!

He folded himself into the cabin of the bus and almost immediately started the motor and pulled forward to the stop to allow the passengers on.

I was afforded a curt, 'Good Morning' in recognition of being a regular commuter, as I swiped my ticket and I took my usual place on the single front seat.
The journey into the city was pretty uneventful.  People got off.  People got on.  We stopped at lights and no cyclists held us up and risked their possible annihalation.
Nothing happened to provoke him!
So far.

As the bus entered the outskirts of the city, a middle aged man, thin of build with white hair in a short, quirky style, dressed in tight fitting, black skinny jeans and a short black jacket over a black polo neck, eased forward to the front of the bus until he was positioned in the 'no standing area' and, leaning into the cabin, he started talking to Bruce in a low voice.

Bruce was answering him quietly and being surprisingly polite and I could see Bruce glancing briefly in my direction a time or two and I wondered why.  I couldn't hear what was being said but I simply imagined the passenger was asking directions or bus times.

As we entered the city, the bus pulled in to a stop and the man got off with a polite 'goodbye', and waved back at Bruce as we pulled away.
He kept looking back at Bruce as we waited at traffic lights and eventually we drove away from the area.
I then presumed they knew each other.

Not so....

At the next set of lights, Bruce turned fully in his seat to look at me and to my surprise began to speak to me.  'I'm glad you sat there' he said with the hint of a smile. I was stunned!
He went on to explain: "That man who got off,  he's very nice and all that but he always tries to chat me up!" he rolled his eyes and I realised I had stopped breathing!
"I'm glad you didn't get off before, or he would have sat there and kept trying!"

Well, can you imagine?  I remembered to breathe and a grin split my face from ear to ear and I burst out laughing ! 
This huge bus driver with the temperment of a bull, had been propositioned by a gay man!   I was so surprised that anyone would be that brave or crazy as to even think of propositioning him and still get away in one piece, and so amused.  I couldn't keep the smile off my face and at the next lights, he turned to me again and said,
"I work out - ( I'd noticed that) ' -And I look after myself and I'm only 40 and the only ones who take interest are men!"
He grinned then and drove on.  I felt like saying ' Well, if i were 20 years younger' ... just to cheer him up!
But he went on to tell me that his wife would get a laugh from it, so I felt better for him.

I was all the time actually quite taken aback that he was talking to me! 

When it came to my stop I paused before getting off and asked with a smile: "Is it safe to leave you alone now?" 
He grinned and leaned forward and replied " Yes, I hope so. Thanks for saving me!"  And he actually laughed!!

As he pulled away, I saw someone inside the bus waving; not at me but at him and obviously calling out something.....
When he'd stopped to let me off, Bruce hadn't opened the back doors - and he had driven off without letting another passenger off!

He still kept going to the next stop with his 'prisoner'...............!