The Smooth Operator

Hey, Benjamin here. It was about a thirty-minute walk to the bus station this morning, through cold weather, but with my brother's good company. I was happy to get out of the cold when the shuttle arrived, and found my seat amidst a handful of other people commuting to Emory.

Just as we started out of the station, the black bus driver introduced himself over the intercom-- "Good morning, everyone. Today you're riding with the Smooth Operator. That's me." (Read these lines in the voice of Morgan Freeman to experience the full effect.) "This is the last, I repeat, the last Wednesday this bus will be running this year. Next Wednesday is what? Christmas. After that is what? New Years. You're on the last bus on a Wednesday until twenty-fourteen. Isn't that something?" My paraphrase breaks down here, but the Smooth Operator went on to talk about how much he liked his bus route, wishing everyone happy holidays. "Make sure your Christmas is merry, not scary."

When I finished work and took the shuttle back home, it was still the Smooth Operator driving. He actually remembered me from the morning trip and greeted me. The trip back from Emory was much the same as the trip to, and the Smooth Operator had the whole bus laughing and smiling. My commute wasn't a big part of my day, but it was very special. That bus driver probably has no idea that someone's writing a blog about him, but I'd like to thank him for making everyone's day just a little bit better.