Urban Bus Adventure: Falling Asleep On the Bus

It was the end of the semester and I was tired. I had pulled one all-nighter the night before last and I had only had 4 hours of sleep last night. I was riding home after 4 hours of classes. It was sunset when I stepped on to the bus. My ride home was going to be about 30 minutes long with the evening rush hour traffic. I settled in a seat next to a window facing the west and I marveled at the beautiful colors filling the sky. The oranges, pinks, purples, and reds were a sight to behold. I didn't want to stop looking at the amazing display of colors but my eyelids were growing heavy. I leaned my head against the window and shut my eyes. I would just rest them for a bit. Soon I was in another world, drifting off to the realm of dreams. I was wrapped in the warmth and vibrant colors of the sunset. I was filled with wonder at display of the mountains and way the sun fell behind them. I was certainly no longer on the bus. I was taking a quick trip to a far-off place that would lend me momentary rest and a chance to refresh my weary self.
"Excuse me, excuse me. Young lady." I stirred and then quickly opened my eyes. It was dark outside. There was no one on the bus and the bus driver was standing in the aisle looking at me. I jumped a bit, unsure of what was happening. Was I still dreaming? Was I still really on the bus? Then it hit me - I was just waking up from my "quick" nap. "Oh! I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed. The driver quickly reassured me, "It's ok. It's not a problem. I saw that you had fallen asleep so I just waited to drop you at your stop on my way back. I would let you keep sleeping except this is the last route for the night and I am headed back to the garage."
"Oh, no. That's ok. Thank you for waking me. I didn't mean to fall asleep. And thank you for bringing me to my stop."
I gathered my things rather sheepishly and stepped off the bus. I had fallen dead asleep and hadn't noticed that everyone else on the bus had gotten off, nor that I had passed my stop a few miles back. Thank goodness the driver was familiar with my route and knew where to drop me off. In fact, he had saved me a trip across the street my letting me sleep until he reached my stop again on the return trip. I couldn't believe I had fallen asleep like that! I would definitely get some rest tonight. I didn't really want to make a habit of falling asleep on the bus.

Urban Bus Adventure: The Cheerful Bus Driver

It was April in Tucson. That meant it was beautiful outside and though I didn't particularly wish to be standing at the bus stop at 7:20 in the morning, it was bearable because it was spring time and everything was more enjoyable. The bus arrived right on schedule and I boarded. The bus driver was particularly cheerful that morning and greeted me, "Good morning, young lady! How are you this lovely morning?" I smiled at him and responded that I was fine and took a seat at the front of the bus. The bus pulled away from the bus stop and seemed to bounce along the street as cheerful as its driver. We stopped at several more stops and the driver continued to greet each boarding passenger with a bright "hello!" and bade the exiting passengers a bubbly farewell. I couldn't help but chuckle at the driver. He was rather amusing! As a rule, I am not generally a morning person and I do not enjoy people trying to hold conversations with me, but this man was different. He was so easy-going and happy that I couldn't help but find myself engaged in a conversation with him. We talked for most of the trip with him stopping only to greet new passengers or well-wish those leaving. We had gotten about half-way through the trip and I was beginning to wonder at this driver. How could he remain so cheerful and excited about the day and the passengers? Surely he wouldn't remain this way for the entire trip. Surely he would run out of things to say and greetings to give. One of the things I found most entertaining about him was his ability to greet each passenger with a different greeting. The man was an elderly gentleman and so some of his greetings were rather outdated or aged ways of saying hello; but I didn't mind. I thought it added to his charm and the hilarity of his persona. It was absolutely entertaining to watch him and the reactions of the passengers to him. There was one stop we came to and a woman got on the bus. The bus driver greeted her, "Top of the morning to you, ma'am!" She seemed a but taken-aback but quickly responded, "Well, good morning to you to! How are you this morning?" The bus driver replied, "Perfectly peachy poopsie!" I just about fell off my seat. I wanted to laugh SO badly! My sides were shaking from inner laughter and my mouth was twitching in an attempt to keep from smiling too broadly. The woman chuckled a bit and started to find a place to sit on the bus. The bus driver then turned back to me and our on-going conversation. I was still having a hard time controlling the urge to laugh and the driver noticed the smirk on my face. He laughed a little laugh and then winked at me. "There's nothing like having someone greet you in the morning with a smile and a kind word." A few minutes later I was at my destination and got up to exit the bus. The driver said goodbye and promised to see me later. Apparently he was the new driver for my route. Well, at least I would have an entertaining bus ride every morning!