Well, tonight I unwittingly created some extra special havoc on a metro bus.
I really don’t know how it happened.
We pulled over on the outskirts of the city for a group of 5 homeless and mostly drunk Aboriginal persons to get on the bus. There were five of them. They only had enough money for one ticket.
One minute I was sitting there wondering how the bus driver was actually going to handle this situation. The next moment, I had pulled $10 out of my wallet and given it to one of the older women in their group to pay for the extra bus tickets. Was it a random and spontaneous act of kindness or pure insanity? I have no freaking idea.
The rest of the bus ride was one of the most fun and amusing ones I’ve ever experienced. I’m sure the other passengers hated me. I know the bus driver was silently cursing me. And of course I found myself surrounded on all sides by extremely loud and somewhat boisterous people who proclaimed that I was now part of their mob. I received handshakes and kisses and we talked about Warlpiri language.
It was all very surreal.
So, if you were on the 7pm W91 bus with me tonight, I sincerely apologise for disturbing the usual peace and quiet of your journey. I hope you know that I am just as surprised as you are in terms of how it all transpired. You probably didn’t find the experience as enjoyable as I did. But maybe just maybe, sometime in the future, the memory of this crazy bus trip will make you smile. Cos I’m smiling now…
Although that could also be explained by the fact that I am still in a state of shock…
