Bus Encounters 2

One of my first posts was about an encounter with an elderly man I had on the bus one time (if you wish to read it - it's down the post list - pretty sure it's March) and today I had another unusual encounter - not on the bus - but at the interchange. 

Naturally it was one of those people talking about Religion - but they don't talk about that. 
They greet you with a friendly hello and ask you how your day has been. 
This one (I don't know for how long) was standing in front of me when I looked up. Thinking it was someone I knew I made eye contact - and he was in like Flynn. 

Next thing I knew he was asking me questions about everything. I think he thought I was a juvenile delinquent that needed saving. Once he realised that I was a normal adult that doesn't need saving, I think he realised he was wasting his time - I knew what he wanted, and I had no intention to fall for it.   

In fact, I turned the tables on him and began to ask him questions. 
I asked him stuff about him, where he'd travelled, and mentioned the badge he was wearing - asking if what he does was fun. 

By the time the bus arrived, he hadn't mentioned The Church, or talked to me about religion at all. 
Turning the tables for the win!!!! 

Bus Encounters

To start off the reader has to know that I catch the bus to and from uni (yes I'm a uni student.)

For a Tuesday morning (lets say around 11am) there was a remarkable amount of people on the bus; for that time of the morning.
I was on my way home after a successful tutorial. For me the day was wonderful; and it was only 11am.
Now I was lucky to get a window seat that was unoccupied, but as we entered the first major stop off/pick up point there was a limited number of seats.

Now my bag was next to me on the seat; I wasn't saving it or implying that no one could sit there; it was just where I put my bag.
Now as an elderly man got on he had two choices; either pick the women sitting in front of me- an aggressive looking women on her mobile, immersed in some sort of game; or a text maybe.
And then there was me. A young, shy looking girl who is having a good morning.

But to sit next to me (I hope you chose me also) there was the issue of the bag.For when I saw him he was looking at an available seat that was taken up by a bag.
Hastily I picked up the bag and pulled it across my lap. Due to my lack of grace the bag almost fell onto the floor and I quickly had to snatch it before my possessions went flying down the bus.

Unfortunately the man took this as a snub- that I didn't want this man sitting next to me.

I just like to point out I had no objections and that he had every right to pick that seat.

So in what I assume was guilt (or maybe he felt like he needed to say something) he said "Oh, I'm sorry about that."
Now the bag hadn't fallen off my lap and everything had turned out just fine, so in my shock (people usually don't talk on buses) I replied, "oh it's fine, no problems."

And there our encounter was over- so I thought. For when we went passed The Lodge, the old man pointed to it and said "Big Julia lives there." Now I just nodded in return. At first I thought, he thought I was dumb and didn't know where our Prime Minister lived, but he continued.

"Sounds like a gang doesn't it? Big Julia."
I wanted to just nod, but as he has said something twice, it was my turn to respond. I laughed confirming his thoughts but then something I didn't expect.

So this man and I had a lovely conversation for most of the trip home. We talked mostly about politics- which ashamedly I really only nodded and agreed with him; politics isn't my strong point.

Then as we were heading to the next bus interchange the man turned to me (we had stopped speaking at this point) and said- and these are his exact words- "I hope you have a marvellous rest of the day."
Now this elderly man probably doesn't know this but he made my day!
I turned to him and wished him the same- and ment it.
It's people like that that lift your spirit just that little bit higher.

As he got off (I remained on) the lady in front of us (yes mobile lady) gave a look that said "glad he didn't sit next to me."
And I wanted to tell her likewise- because he sat next to me and he turned out to be a lovely man (even if he was a bit too chatty.)

So there is my post on how a wonderful morning turned out to get even better- even if you don't see it coming.