Bus Stop Encounter

A few months ago, I was waiting for a Megabus that would take me from Indianapolis to Atlanta. It was a hot day, and the bus was late, and most of the people who had been waiting at the stop when I first arrived had left to sit inside until the bus arrived. Just me and a middle-aged lady remained on the roadside.

We started a conversation from our common ground: the weather (a famous staple) and the fact that we were waiting for a bus.The lady talked about times in the past that she had been let down by Megabus and Greyhound. A few months ago, she had planned a bus trip but had missed the bus, and was left with no option but to eat the cost and not go on the trip. She was obviously keen on catching this bus; after all, we were the only two left standing in the sun after forty minutes of waiting.

I kept looking up the road, expecting the Megabus to show up at any moment. There were a lot of city buses going by, and several of them stopped in front of us, but we stood back and kept waiting for the Atlanta-bound bus.

About an hour after the bus had been scheduled to arrive, the lady said, "Look! There's the Megabus!" I looked, and there it was, trundling up the road behind two city buses. I picked up my backpack and turned to get in line at the bus doors. When I looked back to see if my new acquaintance was behind me, I saw that she was stepping onto one of the city buses, carrying her bags with her. I wasn't certain what to think, but surely she would realize the mistake once she showed the city bus driver her ticket or was asked to pay a bus fee. However, in just a few seconds, the doors closed and the city bus drove off, lady and luggage and all.

Is there something I should have done? Perhaps. I don't like the thought of this lady missing another trip because of a moment of confusion, and maybe I could have shouted something, but it was all over so quickly. I also wonder if it's possible that I misinterpreted events, but I can't think how. Maybe one or both of us was addled by the sun. In any case, I wonder what the next few minutes, hours, and days held for that lady. A bus stop encounter was all we had together, but for both of us separately, life goes on.