the wheels on the bus ...

Last night, there was a huge accident on the highway nearby my university, forcing all the traffic to go through my city. In two words: TRAFFIC JAM, yo! (Okay, the 'yo' makes it three.) After my Shakespeare practice with my classmates, I decided to skip the actual night class in favour of being/sleeping at home earlier ... instead, a 15 minute bus ride turned into an HOUR bus ride to get to the heart of downtown, crawling along.

And, I met two new friends -- Lauren and Jeannette -- who were supposed to go to Toronto but had missed all their buses. We laughed, we made jokes (with me saying that I wish I could pop a Mento's and start directing traffic so they could get to Toronto). And it reminded me of another time I met someone quite special on the bus.

The amazingly awesome Sarah recently asked how me and The Boy met. The truth: We met on a bus.

It was March 2008 after an English class I had in the evening. I hopped onto the bus and noticed, about three feet away, a handsome guy with a light brown jacket, fiddling with car keys. I had gotten out of a three-year relationship with a Nameless Douchebag only a month before, and had more of a "let's take a year to discover myself!" mode rather than a "let's find a rebound!" kind of mood.

Nevertheless, we both caught each other's eye and smiled. And then he got off the bus at a stop where students usually park their cars for free.

During that week, I kept wondering if I'd see him again, and was more or less really proud of myself for smiling at a new guy for the first time in a long time. Then, during my evening class the following week, I realized he was IN MY CLASS. He was sitting about ten rows ahead of me ... with that in mind, I left class early since my laptop was dying.

I got on at the first bus stop on campus -- and he was the very last person who got on at the last stop on campus, having made a run for it and SLIPPING on the pavement. I saw his head in the crowd of people standing, as I sat in the middle of the bus listening to my mp3 player. I could see him coming closer and then hoped I would catch his eye again -- I did. Then, I took out my earphones.



It was then that the girl sitting next to me got off ... so I gestured for him to come by me (where this bravery/foolery came from, I don't know). He smiled, walked over and introduced himself ... we talked, the conversation flowed mysteriously well, and then he asked for my number and to go for coffee the next day (I said 'yes!').

Of course, I thought he had to get off at the same stop as last time and he said that he didn't have his car with him. HE LIED -- his car was there, he just wanted to get know me better and so he stayed on the bus with me and took another bus back to get his car. And he didn't tell me this until four months later, haha.

We met for coffee next day and the rest, they say, is presently happening. :)

So even though bus rides come with creepy moments, they can also be magical and bubbly.

Any interesting transportation/meeting people for the first time stories?
I'd love to hear them :)