time, the bus, an old man

I was sitting in a bus. The bus was about to leave as scheduled. Everybody knows that the buses in this town are very strictly on time.

I didn’t check the time but I thought it was the departure time because the bus driver started the engine and released the hand brake. He was preparing to depart.

Ahead on the footpath, there was an old man. He was well dressed with a brown hat that matches with his brown suit. He tried to walk quickly toward the bus and made a signal to tell the bus driver to wait for him. Obviously the old man wanted to get on the bus. He was trying to reach the bus as quick as possible, please wait for me, I can’t walk any faster.

The bus driver waited until the old man get on the bus.

You should come few minutes before the departure time!

The old man nodded** and sat on a seat next to the door.

The bus traveled for a while. It passed a few bus stops now. In the moment the bus was halted at the traffic light. The old man went to the bus driver and asked.

What time is it?

Three to eleven.

Thank you.

And the old man went back to his seat, adjusted the time on his watch.

The bus traveled for another ten minutes. It’s now crowded by the amount of passengers.

At one bus stop, the bus halted to pick up passengers. There were some passengers getting in. The door was about to close and the bus started to move when a woman shouted loudly and pressed the stop signal furiously. She told the bus driver to open the door.

The bus stopped and the door was opened. That woman went down to call a man. I thought they were friends. She called him for a while. Finally the man got into the bus. His face looked annoyed and displeased. Then he said to the bus driver.

Why didn’t you open the door for me? Why didn’t you wait for me to get in? I was about to get on the bus. I come together with my friend can’t you see!

The bus driver turned on the microphone and said.

I saw you walked away from the bus. I didn’t think that you want to get on the bus.

Walked away?!

I must be fast. I have to keep my time up to the schedule.

Where the hell you want to rush to?

The bus driver looked at the man from the mirror, murmured something, laughed and then continued his driving.

So the bus resumed it's path. I didn’t know if the bus driver can keep his schedule eventually.

In the downtown, small street, traffic jam.

I thought he cannot keep his time schedule.

.....................................................


(** I was thinking, maybe the old man is a calm person. Maybe his age and his life-through experiences gave him comprehension. Just like when we saw a kid crying madly for toys. Although we knew that the kid was suffering but we also understood and knew what we should do, else we have to buy the toys every time the kid cries. Perhaps the old man did understand the bus driver’s temper and had forgive him for the rude reactions, otherwise there could have been an argument. Although it was clear that the old man was guilty by his own delay. Therefore the old man’s silence was probably the best compromise. Or, perhaps the old man is too weak to make any arguments or to argue back with temper. Or, perhaps the old man was also a bus driver once. Or, perhaps he is simply a normal, an ordinary old man.)