Getting home
Over a period of more than three decades I took the bus to work. City bus with the number on the front. And I had to use a series of buses because the city was at large. I learned quickly to pay attention to the clock to make sure that I was at the street corner at the right time to catch my bus. Whatever it happened to be at the end of the afternoon. I did sort of a return but not always the same route. Very standard things. There were however some small exceptions. Particularly, late at night you will catch the last bus of the evening. The bus driver usually had fewer passengers than on a regular run and he or she also wanted to get back to the garage and end the working day. Shortly after leaving the depot or the stop, the bus driver would ask if we were going all the way to the end. And when you were the last or second last person he would often switch up the game. Simply shorten the route. Drive in straight lines, where before he would have had to go around multiple corners. And getting close to the end meaning close to my house he would ask whether he could turn left or right at the next corner. That was the shorthand for where can I drop you. I have been driven right to my front door on certain runs. On the street were city buses rarely ever traveled. I admit it felt really special. Like having a 40 foot limousine with a private driver. Do I miss the city bus? Probably. It was never strenuous and I rarely had to run to get to where I wanted to go or walk long distances. I think public transit is a wonderful thing. I think my kids have caught the bug because all of them also used the city bus. One of the better things about city life.
