"Should I leave a note?"

I have mentioned it here before, but I take the bus to work. And I love it. It gives me a chance to read, even if it’s just for 15 minutes a trip. I can sit back and relax before I get to the daily grind. I save money on gas. I get to learn Spanish ("Stop requested. Parada solicitada.") Oh, and everyone who drives in Texas is a retard. Seriously, every one of them, and that makes it essential that I stay off the road.

So there I was. Minding my own business, sitting in my favorite seat (across from the back door right by the buzzer so I don't have to reach to request a stop– I hate reaching over people), with my nose deeply buried in a book. And then?

THWACK. BUMP. SCRAPE.

I jolt up from my book. And the bus driver – who until this day was my favorite driver – turns around and says, “I guess I hit something?” In the very same tone that Cher uses in Clueless when she sideswipes three parked cars.

Oops. My bad.

You think you hit something? YOU THINK YOU? HIT. SOMETHING! You just ripped off your entire side view mirror. No shit, you hit something. Maybe you should stop and check it out?

But nay, she does not stop. She continued on to a transfer point, which is where they switch drivers on shift change. The new driver notices the carnage of mangled side view mirror now hanging from the side of the bus, and asks her what happened. And once again she just says, “I guess I hit something.”

She got off the bus, calmly walked to her car and drove off like nothing happened. Which got me to wondering if she’s even supposed to drive the bus? Or did she just see it waiting unattended at a bus stop, hopped in and then took it for a joyride hellbent on side-mirror destruction?

(And if this was her plan then I say well played!)

So the poor new driver had to call it in, and clean up the whole mess. And us fortunate passnegers, all sat stranded on the bus waiting for a new one to come. I ended up late for my meeting, and no one believed my crazy story about the bus.

Frankly, I don’t care because truly public transportation never ceases to amaze me. And I’ll never understand why people don’t use it more often.