The Man on the Bus

           Hand sanitizer and or some bacteria force field is recommended before boarding the beast known as a metro bus. Public transportation is both convenient and inconvenient at the same time. You either arrive just in time to catch it or late and watch it drive off, leaving you bitter and above all else late for work/class/life. It is a box where cold, and flu germs hide and wait until you, the unsuspecting victim, board the cesspool.

           Once in this box, you come into contact with a variety of individuals. On bus 68 there is a man I often refer to as, Musical Candy Man. He is an older gentleman, with unruly hair usually covered by an ivy cap made of tweed. His jacket, also made of tweed, has darker brown patches on the elbows. He often sits upfront, and if you sit near him, your nose will be greeted with the scent of cigars. He will offer you a piece of candy as you walk by. When I do, I politely decline. I know he might mean well, but if you were offered a questionable piece of candy, wouldn’t you reject it? One of the first things a child is taught is, what is their phone number and address and, oh, never take candy from a stranger, even if they appear to be nice.

           When he isn’t offering candy to strangers, he is singing. And not a low hum that only he can hear either, but a full belt out of some classic Motown, usually verses from My Girl and Build me up Buttercup. It is an enjoyable performance, all things considered. His voice is hoarse, probably from smoking, but it’s almost as if you are listening to a vinyl record. If you listen carefully, you might be able to ignore the scratchiness and hear the Gaye he probably was in his youth. He is aware that he is aboard a bus; I assume he has doctor appointments to keep. Seeing as he boards the bus at a stop located in the Med Center. I’ve only ever seen him get off the bus when it stops near Luby’s. I never see anyone accompany him on the bus. However, several nurses or other elderly passengers recognize and converse with him until they arrive at their stops. He is a strange character but one of the more comforting passengers. Sadly, I don’t see him on my route anymore. I hope it’s because he takes a different bus and is still singing on offering his fellow bus passengers a piece of candy and a bit of traveling music to entertain them.

-KMV-