about six months ago, i was returning to my downtown apartment from my parents' uptown house. i stepped onto the bus and immediately recognized the bus driver from an anecdote of katie's- the pudgy, baby-fat cheeks, buzzed haircut and malignant, beady eyes could only belong to the guy who'd made some off-color jokes concerning faggots and women's general place in the workplace as katie rode the bus some weeks earlier. i dismissed him with a casual flash of my bus pass and palmed the card, heading for the back of the bus. i didn't give him a second thought until i noticed that as we headed east on my mother's 35-mph street, the bus was rapidly climbing toward a frightening 65. i mean it- the bus was beginning to shake and rattle, it may have even swayed from side to side somewhat. the other passengers were nervously eyeing one another, glances which seemed to whisper- "um, are you in a hurry? Because i'm not in a hurry."
as i sank deeper into my seat and braced myself for takeoff, the bus began decelerating. whew! i thought. we're stopping for a passenger. as the bus came to a stop and the doors opened, a shrunken and bent man of about 90 edged slowly onto the bus, inching his cane forward with every step. suddenly, as he reached for the pocket of his trenchcoat, Speed Racer FLOORED THE GAS PEDAL!!
the old man crashed wordlessly to the ground and slid about eight feet down the center aisle of the bus, toward the back where i was seated. some people helped him up, but Speed Racer never slowed down or said anything, even when the man (who looked not unlike Confucius) hobbled off the bus at the station.
this came to mind because as i boarded the bus bound for school yesterday, my heart sank as i realized that the driver was none other than Speed Racer, who despite my and Katie's complaints continues to be employed by the AATA. the ride was less eventful, with the exception of a grossly expedient descent down the mountain pass that is Geddes Road which cumulated in a skull-rattling passage over some railroad tracks (taken at about 55 miles/hour) and a sharp right hand turn which sent i two discmen and a purse flying.
this man must be stopped!