Tired on the bus....

The bus journeys are getting interesting. To reduce the risk of getting H1N1 or swine flu, I have been taking bus bus to avoid the crowded trains. Besides, I find taking the bus is usually warmer now that winter is almost here.


A few days ago, I was mildly verbally abused by a girl - one of those angry teenagers.I was so tired, than I sat totally zoned out on the bus. As my hands were totally tired holding on to the coat and bag (yes, it can happen. I need to massage my elbow, fingers and shoulders when I get home sometimes), that I became lazy and let the coat "loose" - occupying the empty seat next to me. There were a quite a few empty seats then. 

Suddenly I heard this voice mumbling something near me. This girl was looking at me, as if she talked to me. I mind was empty, but I guessed she probably wanted to sit, and so I took away my coat and held it. I did not say anything to her or smiled - I was just too tired and focused on not falling asleep. The bus was going through a rough part of town, and it was not the place to fall asleep. She sat down next to me, and then started talking to her friend seated across the aisle about the "bitch". It took me a while to realise she was referring to me and how rude I was.

Frankly, I was just too tired to respond. Then, the seats behind me became empty, and they moved there. This girl then started to hurl things from the seat to the seat next to me. IN my fatigued state, it took a while before I noticed  things started to pile up on the seat.

"This newspaper is for you, and of you can have this water too.....etc etc." I was a little shocked to see the dirty newspaper, water etc..but was simply too tired to have a response and carried on looking out of the window. I was just hoping she would stop. Fatigue is the correct word, actually. No one gets too tired that they become unresponsive - no anger, no reaction or anything despite all these. 

Fortunately, her friend told her to stop. "I think that is quite enough, you are beginning to look like a bully".

 "This bitch was rude - she deserves it  etc.....because I am black.... "

"Don't you think she looks tired? May be she just had a bad day, you never know. Why take it personally?"

Who says we only have insensible youth in the society? When I had a bit of rest and had the energy to think, I was so grateful that this sensible girl stopped the process... 

Being the "weird woman" on the bus - in the name of flu prevention

These days I look like a hypochondriac on the bus – “washing” my hands with alcohol gel after touching any surface, and trying to keep a tiny bit of the window open despite the slight chill. It is better to have slightly cooler temperature than being stuck for one hour in a poorly ventilated bus when it comes to transmission of flu (whether it the garden variety or swine flu) and all those cold viruses! I had been stared by some school girls many times, and I have heard them calling me weird. Well .. whatever.

I take those long journey homes using the bus these days. One way easily takes almost two hours, if the traffic is bad. A seat is always God sent, and I have to admit that I am really keen to grab one whenever I see one. I have not gone to that stage of fighting with old ladies and mum with babies, but anyone else is a "fair game".  I have been dead tired recently. Although I look like any other woman on her way home after work, the truth is I am probably more tired than most. One day I had to stand for most of the time on the bus, and by the time I found a seat, my feet was so painful and swollen. Fatigue is always around when I have those stiffness and swelling.