Riding The Bus

Hey, been a minute. My spring semester just started up again, so I've been getting back into the college grind. Anyway, my commute to my school is about an hour by bus, and as I've started this semester I've already had two wonderful interactions with complete strangers. I had made my way to my stop, the White Album playing on my headphones, and got to talking with the person who was already there about the freezing weather (in the U.S we're currently experiencing an 'Arctic Blast' that is bringing Arctic air south and causing dangerously cold temperatures). 

The conversation evolved, we exchanged names, and I got a little bio on Raven as we both got on the bus. A CS major working in AI and cyber-security, Raven is coming back to school after around 11 years to get their certifications and "get Uncle Sam to help pay for it". Raven has lived in 7 different states and has never had a drivers license. A self-proclaimed audiophile, they recognized almost every artist I named, no matter the genre. Before they got off, I added them on Discord, and sent them Joanna Newsom's 'Ys' to listen to.

Bob was just as fascinating. I met him yesterday, after I had eaten at Wendy's and walked to my stop. He was in a large blue coat and had his arms out like a penguin, and was holding an open bag of grapes. We also started talking about the cold, and after the bus came by I was so intrigued I asked him what his story was. Bob had lived and studied history in Jordan and came to America because of the economic situation in his country, and worked in a convenience store for 13 years before they let him go, and he was looking for a new job. He offered me some of his grapes and some bread he had in his pocket, and I offered to help him with his job search by giving him the number and address of the restaurant I used to work at (where I knew they were understaffed and bleeding labor). We parted ways at the same stop, and I have a feeling I'll be seeing Bob again soon.

Moral of the story? Talk to strangers. 

Stay warm out there,

-Rockport