Bus Ride from Hell

Yesterday I spent a lovely 3 hours at my hair salon getting my hair cut and colored. I read my book, played on the iPad, had adult conversations, and truly got pampered by my amazing hair stylists (makes me sound like I have a glam squad, but seriously my hair dresser and colorist are the best in the biz.) I left the salon relaxed and refreshed, and with a sassy new very short do.

In order to get back out to my home, which is approximately 8 miles away from Boston, I have to get on the Orange Line and take it to the end, and then hop on a bus for about 25 minutes. It is the commute that my husband does twice a day, every day, to get into work, and after yesterday's experience I told him I would drive him to and from the train every day if he wanted me to.

To give you a little background, we live in a town that is technically Boston, but I think we are seriously the house furthest away from the city, that is still considered Boston. Literally the house behind us is considered the suburbs, so I really consider us to be in the 'burbs. To get to our neighborhood you have to go through some of Boston's not so nice neighborhoods - not the worst neighborhoods, but not the best (we have to pass by projects, etc.), so there is an interesting mix of people that ride this specific bus that I had to take.

As you know on the weekends the MBTA buses run few and far between, so after a pleasant train ride I waited outside for approximately 15 minutes for any bus to show up (and this is at one of the major bus hubs for the city.) There were definitely enough people waiting to fill this bus, so I stuck out my already large pregnant belly and inched my way towards the bus door. Well let me tell you this - people are A-Holes. There was shoving and cutting and all sorts of rude behavior just to get on this bus. Watch the woman carrying a human being in her belly will you?? No, you won't. Anyhoo - I get on the bus, and get a seat in the first row facing front.

Now, in the seats facing inward in the front (that area where wheelchairs would go) there is a homeless man, that weighed about 400 pounds and smelled like a toilet. Tell me this, how does a homeless man get that fat? He was belligerently drunk and disgustingly gross, and the odor he was emitting made me terribly sick to my stomach, but it was either sit there or stand in the aisle being thrown about. So I sat and breathed through my mouth.

Before the bus left the station, a young mother with an umbrella stroller containing about a 10 month old, and her toddler son got on the bus. No one except me, the pregnant lady, and the belligerant bum asked if she wanted their seat. NO ONE. All around me were able bodied men, who just watched this poor woman and her two kids be thrown about. And who offers to give up their seats? The fat pregnant lady and the homeless man! Made me irate. She declined us both, but at least we asked.

So our journey commences and the entire time this poor homeless man is muttering to people about where he wants to get off. I am far enough away from him that I can't understand his drunken mumbling, but people that are right next to him don't even bother paying attention to him. One guy who is standing right in front of him, with headphones in, pretends not to hear him, but then talks to the guy on his other side just fine. I am getting so angry with people, because this homeless man just wants someone to tell him when his stop comes, and everyone is pretending he isn't there, and talking about him right in front of him.

WELL - I take it upon myself to do my good deed of the day and I say to him, "excuse me sir, what stop are you looking for?" and he said something that I thought was Rosi Square, and I say "oh we just passed that, you should get off at this stop and walk a block back" and he looks at me and yells "you cocksucker!" Hold the effing phone buddy...What did you just say to me? And I say to him "excuse me? I was just trying to help you?" and he looks at me again and said "cocksucker" right to my face. I about stood up and punched this man in the face. Here I am feeling so badly for him, and the one person who is actually decent and kind to him he calls a cocksucker? Forget you buddy.

So here I am sitting on this ridiculously crowded bus, with some guy standing next to me screaming into his cell phone, with his crotch in my face...I am about to vomit from the smell of the bus thanks to the douche of a homeless man, the guy sitting next to me is basically sitting on my leg because he has no consideration for personal space - especially that of a pregnant lady!! I think I also got hit in the head five times by bags people were carrying when they walked by me. There are multiple teenagers listening to terrible music so freaking loud everyone on the bus can hear it. And apparently the bus driver was fired up about this bus ride too because he actually got off the bus, went to the back door and yelled at people for not filling up all the space. He also did the "I'm not moving this bus until you all listen and move to the back right now..." move at every stop. I seriously almost got off and walked the 3 miles home.

Never did fresh air smell so sweet as when I got off that bus ride from hell. I told my husband this story when I got home - all sweaty and tense...my relaxing day gone to shit - and he said it is like that every day. That is when I told him I would drive him to the train even more than I do now because no one should have to go through that BS every day, twice a day! Granted my husband does take cabs, and a car service home most nights, but no one should have to deal with that after working 12 hour days like he does.

So I just had to share - people are jerks, even if you are pregnant and try to do something nice for someone.