The Bus

So, as a civic-minded participant within the community, I have found it very rewarding to utilize public transportation. Not so much to save gas or the money for parking as for the sheer relaxation and time I save. I know, I’m selfish but the truth is, sometimes it’s just easier to drive my own vehicle, through traffic so that I can arrive when I want, leave when I want and my schedule is my schedule. That being said, I’ve finally found my motivator to ride the transit. Research! Sure, I enjoy reading so much that often times I will take that right hand turn onto Wadsworth, forsaking the Church Ranch Boulevard adventure because I know I’m at a crucial point in my latest book however the truth is, regular public transit commuters are a breed like no other.

I first noticed it last night when I arrived at the RTD terminal a bit early for the 5:16 Express to Old Towne Arvada. I was the first to arrive so I perched myself up at the end of the first steel railing at the front of the gate. I gently removed my book and began reading Chapter 11 and leaned against the cold metal railing. As I turned the page, I began to notice a small crowd growing all around me. Well, at least it seemed this way. I inched my eyes up just above the rims of my glasses and began to study. I realized that all around me were the daily commuters for this particular route and somehow I had inadvertently missed the protocol of exactly how a seasoned professional rider was to wait in line. It seemed that the ladies right next to me were looking at me with that look, the one that says, “Obviously, she is not a normal rider because she doesn’t know where to stand.” The way they were crowding me suggested that I had overstepped my boundaries by taking their prospective spots in line. I could feel the tension rise in my neck as I came to the conclusion that not only did I not belong in this “first position” in line, but that the ladies almost expected me to release my place to stand in the back of the line where non-commuters belonged.

I know, I know…I’m probably far too sensitive however it seemed real enough and the discomfort I felt up until the bus’ arrival was rivaled only by my sheer fear that should I show up early tomorrow, I had better know where to stand.

As the bus approached the gate to pick up its precious cargo, the swarms of experienced commuters began to crowd so closely that I was contemplating fleeing the line when I realized, these people were not crazed monsters trying to secure their usual seats. They are looking down on me because I’m leaning against the first position on the railing. These masters of the rail transit were just trying to get home as quickly as possible and unfortunately I was standing between them and the assurance that they would catch the ride they needed to take them back to their lives, the normal existence of home and dinners on the table by six. It dawned on me that although I’d like to think I’m the center of the universe and all who are around me are there because of something I’ve done or said, the truth is, everybody is just like me….they just want to get a good seat, pass the time of traffic by reading the next chapter and get home to their families, hobbies, or whatever the schedule endures.

And here I was, secure in my thought that the world revolved around me. Who knew I’d be so lucky to be just one of the crowd.