The Morning Commute

This morning i boarded the bus on a crisp summer day. I broke down and wore a lightweight jacket. I had been rebelling wearing any jacket to work in the morning when i knew it would be 70 degrees or warmer in the afternoon. I'm lazy and didn't want to carry a jacket on my arm on the way home. But... 49 degree mornings do make it a bit chilly to wait for the bus outside, and i caved in.

When i ride the bus in the morning, i have my general area of seats that i choose from. They are in the back, facing the aisle, conveniently located by the back door. I learned that the bus gets crowded at this particular park and ride. To get off on the first stop can be challenging if you have a person sitting next to you who isn't getting off. I either have to wake them up so i can get out, or make them gather their plethora of useless junk they haul back-and-forth to work everyday, and they have to get up with this mess of stuff (really? do you need a purse, a bag, a lunch bag, and the newspaper completely unfolded?). I do exaggerate, but it pretty much equates to, it's a hassle. Quick and easy is my motto in the morning.

I boarded the bus, and sat in my choice of seat. Pulled out my book and started to read. The bus took off, speeding down 610. I can always tell when we get to 252 without looking up. The bus screeches (again i exaggerate) to a halt, horn beeping. Someone should make a video of this moment. When the bus driver breaks, he waits until the last possible moment to break. This means everyone in their seat uniformly leans toward the front of the bus and then settles back in their original seat. Picture a teenage driver learning to use the break on a car. Nice!

Anywho - the bus makes a few stops for people and then chugs along for a smooth, jerk-free rest-of-the-ride to work. As the bus exited the freeway i glanced up. Sitting across from me is a man writing in a notebook. It was a composer's type of notebook. I think i should know this guy, but i don't recognize him. He has sunglasses on and that just really ruins the chance for me to try and figure out who he is period.

What got me thinking though was the fact that he could write in this notebook while the bus was moving. I would have thought his writing would not be legible after a bumpy bus ride. What could he be writing? There was a typical journal entry date and then a massive paragraph. What was odd was the previous paragraphs were crossed out. What could he be writing? I wanted so desperately to take a peek. But he was sitting across the aisle. I didn't want to stare. I didn't want to get up and look either. One wrong bus bump and i would end up in a precarious spot. Not that i considered doing any of this. I did want to know what he was writing about though.

This wanting to know what he was writing got me to wondering. Was he writing for therapy? I didn't know guys liked writing in journals? Was he a lawyer preparing for court? He had a huge honking class ring on one hand, a gold bracelet, and a wedding band on the other hand, polo shirt, khakis, and loafers... Was he writing because he is a recovering addict? Was he writing a story? Was he writing a play? Maybe it was school work?...