Adventures on the Bus

The Lady has moved too far away to walk home from work these days, so on a typical day, she takes the bus to and from work. Even if the Lady had a wonderful day at work with rewarding moments throughout her interactions, the bus can turn her into a black cloud of frustration and anger. Unfortunately, I often accompany her on these adventures and have seen some sights and smelled some smells I would trade for a stab with a knitting needle anyday.

Last Friday afternoon, the Lady and I waited in the now-freezing temperatures at the bus stop for any bus to take us to our transfer destination. Time passed; it got colder and colder and the sky darkened -not to be dramatic, the Earth continues its rotation regardless of circumstances here on the surface!- and finally a bus heading in the direction we needed to travel pulled up. It was packed, but neither of us paid any mind, as it meant we were on our way home. As the Lady paid her fare -Purses ride for free- she noticed a particular odour hanging in the air...permanent marker? she thought. Or gasoline. Likely the latter, as she quickly spotted three individuals seated towards the front of the bus with rags tucked into their sleeves, a sure sign that they were sniffers. As the ride continued, the fumes permeated every square inch of the bus, giving the Lady overwhelming nausea. This was only compounded by the trios impromptu picnic of bologna sandwiches -which the woman in the group said "comes from horses".

The Lady was conflicted. She felt bad for the poor state of the sniffers...what kind of life is that? However, she also noted the mother with children sitting across the way and wondered how she would explain that to her kids when they got home. Once she got to her transfer stop, the Lady breathed the "fresh" air of downtown at rush hour, still gagging from the atmosphere on the bus. She thought the time she swore someone defecated themselves on the bus last winter was her worst ride, odourwise, but much to both of our chagrins, this one takes the cake. I'm so glad Purses lack an olfactory system.