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I walked into the bus station on a sunny afternoon to
purchase a one-way bus ticket to Cleveland.
The woman behind the counter looked at me with questioning pity in her
eyes. Why would a woman be buying a
one-way bus ticket to of all places, Cleveland? I chose to buy the ticket in advance to save
money. I was planning ahead of time for when I was going to make my escape. I had so much to do for this trip. I had to get all my ducks in a row. What should I take with me and what should I
leave behind? That question plagued me
as I went home to prepare for my trip. I
had a couple of weeks to get on with my life until the day of my departure.
A few weeks later I traveled from my hometown of Sault Ste.
Marie to Cleveland by bus. What an
adventure. During the entire process of this trip I learned a lot about values and personalities of others and myself. We were late departing and to
make matters worse the bus driver stopped by the side of the road on I-75 to
St. Ignace while he was talking on his cellphone. That surprised me. The bus driver seemed to be angry about
something. When you use any form of
public transportation you are at the mercy of vehicles and planes running
smoothly and human error. I was already
getting concerned about late arrivals and missing connections. This felt all
too familiar.
The bus driver who took over driving the bus from St. Ignace
to Lansing was a lot friendlier and didn’t seem to be as distracted as the
other bus driver. I discovered that the bus stopped
at sites even if there were no passengers who boarded the bus at these
locations. It seems as if time and gas could be saved by communicating with the
drivers that no one purchased a ticket from these sights so they didn’t have to
stop.Or do they have
to stop at all the scheduled locations to develop a routine?
We stopped in Grayling at this bakery and deli at around
lunchtime to get something to eat. Our
time there was shortened considerably because the bus was running late. I talked with the bus driver and he assured me
that we were going to arrive on time in Lansing so that we would make our
connections. He said that he has never
been so late that passengers didn’t make their connections. The bus driver
demonstrated that he cared about my concerns, an admirable quality.
On the way to various towns sometimes we would stop longer
so the bus driver and passengers could have smoke breaks. I got off the bus to stretch my legs and
wandered off to escape the cloud of smoke that was heavy in the air. What a
nasty and expensive habit.
During our stop in Claire, MI a young man boarded the
bus. He was busy listening to music and
kept looking back at me. We struck up a
conversation. He was traveling to North
Carolina to attend a religious camp that provided services for people who
needed assistance. His name was
Eric. He asked where I was going and
why. I told him that my final
destination was Cleveland and why I was going there. It was nice to see a young person who was
interested in someone else’s life.
We finally reached Lansing, a little later than
scheduled. However, to our dismay the
bus Eric and I were going to ride from Lansing to Detroit was running late due
to mechanical problems. Oh no!! We befriended a woman whose name was Loretta
and we, meaning Eric and I, watched each other’s luggage and provided each
other with support while waiting for the bus to arrive. When it finally arrived, we loaded our
luggage and then Lorretta, Eric and I sat in the back seat of the bus together
to provide each other with the comfort of familiarity. The bus was crowded and
we soon became a minority. I was
reminded how comforting it is to receive and provide support to others.
Lorretta shared why she was on the bus with Eric while my head was propped against
the window with my eyes close. She told Eric that she hasn’t been home for
months since around Christmas time. Lorretta’s home is located in the Detroit
area. Her husband and daughters have come to visit her in the area on
a few occasions. Her oldest daughter
graduated from high school. She was visiting her parents in Marquette. I could tell Eric was struggling with the
idea of Marquette and a mother not living with or seeing her children. He was trying to appear that he accepted what
she was telling him; but he was finding it difficult. Lorretta was returning home to her family,
her children and her husband, that was the purpose of her bus ride to
Detroit. Lorretta was an interesting
character. At the risk of sounding
judgmental, she had blond hair that was streaked with a dull pink. It would have been intriguing to learn more
about her story considering what was already revealed. Was she visiting her parents because of a
sick parent? The questions could go on
and on.
The bus arrived in Detroit a little late; but it didn’t
appear to be a problem because the drivers’ were not prepared for us to
board. I had to stand in line and have
tickets reissued for Greyhound. My
original ticket was issued under Indian Trails from Detroit to Cleveland. Eric had a tighter connection so I asked
another traveler if he could go in front of us.
She did so reluctantly and then two passengers were taking what seemed
like forever to obtain tickets to ride the bus from Detroit to whatever their
destination was and I became frustrated.
I finally got through that line and then became confused about what line
to be in to board the bus. I was told
what line and then discovered that information was incorrect. I helped another woman who was confused
also. She was so grateful.
The bus had a final destination posted as New York. I guess that was the final destination of the
bus. I asked the driver to make sure I was boarding the right bus and he
reassured me. Later on I met the same woman who I helped earlier and she smiled at me, again
thanking me for my guidance. I
discovered that we can rely on others and can be of support when we are in
situations filled with strangers. Kindness
exists in the most unlikely circumstances.
Finally, on the bus, I chose to sit in the back seat again. The
bus was very crowded. I sat next to a young man of what appeared to be of
African American descent. In the
beginning, he had his eyes closed most of the time; but when they were open he
begin to tell me about not being able to make his final destination until the
following day. The bus he was scheduled
to ride from his previous destination to Detroit happen to be hours late. He didn’t have any money. I looked at his clothing. He was wearing what
appeared to be expensive shoes, and clothes.
He complained about being hungry and broke. I offered some of my trail mix. In my homemade trail mix, I included Wasabi
peas. They are rather hot and spicy. He said they were good; but a little too
hot for him to tolerate. This young man explained that he recently had surgery
and proceeded to show me his scar on his stomach, too much information. After taking his clothes into consideration
among other things, I handed him $5. which included a short lecture about
leaving home without being prepared. He
needed to pack things to eat and bring money. He listened and then thanked me.
I finally arrived in Cleveland at approximately 9:30 p.m.
The bus stopped outside the gates to the bus station like a pilot would do when
waiting for someone to manage gate services at an airport.
So close yet so far away. We
waited for approximately ten minutes until the bus driver drove to the boarding
area. My friend was outside waiting for
me. Her brother was inside the terminal.
She offered to carry some of my luggage, which was so nice of her. I
discovered her brother was afraid to come into the city of Cleveland and the
bus terminal was in the heart of Cleveland city proper. He has lived in the Cleveland area most of
his life, if not all of his life.
Everyone has fears.
To tell you
the truth, I am uncomfortable being in big cities. I am not comfortable around too many people
and I sometimes feel anxious when I am unfamiliar with my surroundings. I grew up in a small town with a population
of 2,500 during the winter months and approximately 3,500 to 4,000 during the
summer months.
I spent one night in Cleveland at my friend Betty’s home,
which is the home of her mother. Her
mother was a treat. She is over 90 years
old. She told me that I would be more
than welcomed to come again and visit. The
rest of the week was spent in Cincinnati with Betty. Betty had a book signing with other authors
for a book they co-wrote. I attended a
writers’ group and attended a publisher’s board meeting. I met a lot of Betty’s acquaintances and
friends. The last night we were in
Cincinnati we had dinner with a young woman, Daphne, and her husband, Keith, at
Outback near the motel we were staying at.
They are computer experts and work with marketing. She is also a college
professor. Daphne informed us that they appeared as extras in the movie the
“Avengers.” She offered to help me with setting up a website among other
computer issues I may experience in my quest to becoming more adept with expanding my horizons with social media.
Daphne is a gorgeous woman whose origins are based in
India. She was going to be a bridesmaid
for a friend. Daphne was concerned that
the bridesmaid’s dress she was going to wear was going to make her look
fat. Now according to most standards,
Daphne was the perfect weight. Keith
stated that she couldn’t look fat in anything.
I was reminded about how critical and uncomfortable we can be in our own
bodies, even people who can be considered very attractive struggle with the way
they look.
I met my husband Don in the Dayton area at his stepfather’s
home on Friday. Our fifth child, Don’s
youngest, was graduating with her bachelor’s degree from Wright State
University. I was thrown in the mix with Don’s ex-wife and his family. Calgon take me away. It was nice to get away and explore busy cities and it made me really appreciate the pace of Sault Ste Marie.
