Life I'm sitting on my bus home having just jumped on at the last minute. I'm out of breath because I've had to dash through the bus station. We're pulling away from the passenger loading bay, but have to stop because there is traffic in the way. A Bridget Jones of a woman, all business suit and 'just so' hair knocks on the door. The driver ignored her - he's pulled away from the stop, there are cameras everywhere and he could lose his job if he lets her on. She bangs again, but he just shrugs his shoulders.

So she runs around the front of the bus to the driver's window, into the middle of the road, and starts to shout at him. Sensing a confrontation he opens his windows and tells her all the things we passengers already knew, and that she could get killed were she is at that moment. Plus, this is rush hour - it's a pointless cause because there will be another bus behind in minutes anyway. But she stands her ground. There is an opening ahead so he tries to pull away.

So she dashes IN FRONT OF THE BUS and stands there still shouting. We can hear her. "But you were still at the stop! You should have let me on!" It's almost as though she's trying to start a protest movement for people who just miss the bus. Yes it's irritating, but less irritating than actually being on a bus and having some idiot blocking the way. She pulls out her mobile phone and starts to ring someone. I'm assuming it's the bus company to complain. By this time, we're all gesturing for her to get out of the way so we can go home. But she stands her ground. By now another bus has appeared behind us, same route, and it can't get in the bay because we're stuck there.

Our driver starts to honk his horn. Not a few brief notes, but long and continuously. I think he's trying to scare her away. A steward from the bus service arrives. She bares him now mind and carries on shouting into her phone. I wonder if inside her head she has the footage of the student standing in front of the tanks in Tiananmen Square, a cause which was actually worth fighting for. I get worried because the steward in his florescent green tabard looks worried - its obvious he's going to end up putting his hand on her and he doesn't want to do this. She looks a bit like a lawyer. The action is concealed by the driver's cab, but moments later he's leading her away, hand on shoulder. She's still protesting. He's pointing at the bus behind and shrugging.

No comments:

Post a Comment