Last time I did this route Vulture Mine Road, I was driving back to home. On the way back a school bus is stopped in the middle of the road. Car in front of me stops, of course. We're waiting for the kids to be discharged, etc.
Nothing happens. Bus is half on/off the road.
After 5 mins the car in front of me slowly drives to the left of the school bus. I watch as the driver stops, window rolls down and a fellow in front of the school bus is talking to the driver. A minute and the driver window goes up and the car drives off.
I slowly drive to the left of the school bus. Same guy in front of the bus. I roll down the window. Guy has his shoe in his hand, gestures in 3 - 4 directions, explaining something. Says something about the police being called. I assume there is mechanical problem with the bus. Guy asks for ride to Congress where he'll meet police.
Sure.
Guy gets in the car, we're driving. He is tense, nervous, hyperverbal. Says he has been `on the road' for a few days. He "tried" to get a ride at the last intersection but nobody would stop. Hungry. Thirsty. Feet hurt. (Shoe).
Then he said he just decided he was going to just lie down in the middle of the road to "make the bus stop."
I'm curious. Alert for danger, etc. No hint of danger.
I'm trying to think of some kind of conversation for the next 15 miles to Congress that won't result in `episode.' .
ME: "So. How was the road? Warm?"
HIM: "Yeah. Not bad. Hard. But o.k.." "I'm going to the Hillside church because I live in Yava."
ME: "Yava?" (Yava is a road sign next to a cattle guard on a desolate road in desert canyon).
HIM: "Yeah. Yava."
ME: "Couldn't be more than 3 people in Yava."
HIM: "Twelve of us, actually."
Get to the gas station at Congress, drop him off, wave goodbye.
The `West' IS wild.
I was on the way to work a the bike shop one morning. Its snowing. North on 14th, right on College Ave, and just as I start to slop for the stop at 15th, a heavily clad woman runs out in front of my beat up VW bus. I stop. She pulls open the passengers front door, and jumps in! She yells at me,"Drive!!". I look at her dumbfounded and calmly respond,"Where?" "Anywhere!!", is the response. Next I ask,"Why?" Then came the answer that makes this all so memorable. "Because I am the master of the universe!!!!". Just as I put the bus in first, 6 troy police cruisers surround me, from 8 directions. They are the second ones to open my passengers door unbidden, but the second time was the charm. They pulled the master right back out of my old bus! Turns out she had just escaped, and they needed to wait for an overt act before they could apprehend her. Whole thing cost me less than a minute, and, I met the master of the universe. How many people can say that? Maybe this guys is related?
ReplyDelete"Where?"
ReplyDelete"Why?"
Entirely rational questions. That would have been an `Adult Pampers' moment for me. Better man than I, JV.
On that same Vulture Mine ride I stopped at a gas station. Asked the guy if I could just put the bike inside the station while I went to the bathroom and bought something. "Sure." A few minutes later I walk out and a nice middle aged lady opens the door for me. After I'm out she says: "Would you like to come home with me and have lunch?" ?!??
ReplyDeleteUnable to think. I mumbled something about having to "get back" and pointed in .. not sure where I pointed. All I could think of was: "This is a Stephen King story."