The trip was a nightmare. Always before, I’d taken the bus and found it a good way to get to my grandkids. Instead of fighting highway hypnosis and dodging dangerous drivers, I could write or read or listen or sleep. And meet some interesting people.
But this bus made people edgy. It was late, cold, dirty, and crowded. And the driver was fed up from the start. He didn’t want to hear about the Wi-Fi not working or the lack of power outlets or missed connections or unkempt bathrooms.
It was a traffic jam, though, that unhinged us. Toward the back of the bus, a ruckus erupted. First, words flew across the aisle. But soon people lurched to their feet, arms flailing and fists clenched. Over the intercom, the bus driver threatened to call the police. When the uproar continued, he hit the brakes. Though the speed was slow, we all jerked forward.
Across the aisle from me, a young man moaned. I had been watching his heightening agitation. He’d been rocking in his seat and jiggling his legs and sending wild looks around the bus. Now he shot straight up, dropping his headphones to the floor. Turning toward the back of the bus, he shouted words I never say. And for a moment, I thought he’d walk back there and join in.
My bus mate reminded me of some former students, those who were easily overwhelmed by sensory and social stimulation. He seemed to be in what educators sometimes call the “rumble stage,” where there’s still a chance to prevent a full meltdown.
I gathered my courage and my blanket and slipped across the aisle to sit in the empty seat beside him. He sat down and began rocking again.
“It’s loud,” I said to him.
He didn’t answer, but his rocking slowed. I fished his headphones from the floor.
“I wish I had headphones,” I said, as I handed them to him.
He put them over his ears.
I pulled the hood of my coat over my head. He pulled his into place. I spread the blanket over him. And we hunkered down.
By now, the bus driver had nosed over to the berm and stopped. His phone in hand, he stood at the front of the bus and glared.
Everyone sat down. Everyone was quiet.
No one called the police.
No one went to jail.
Apple to Apple 