I wait…

One of the cool things about being on the road is that you generally pay a bit more attention to the people around you. Especially if you are spending most of your time alone.

This trip has been particularly ripe with characters – interesting folks that pop into my world for a bus ride, a coffee, a meal, or just a sentence or two – and then they are gone.

A few days ago, I was sitting on a bench waiting for my bus at the Rideau Centre. An elderly woman walked over carefully, deliberately, and sat down right beside me. We watched 3 buses pull up together, empty, reload and wait for the light to turn green. Then all together they pulled away.

The woman turned to me and said:

“The buses all come at once
like a funeral procession.
Then, they all leave at once.
I wait for the next funeral.”

Then she stood up and walked back to the bus shelter.