onsdag, juni 20, 2007

The Bus 123 and I

The people chose not to change the government so I suppose the buses will not run as usual, ha ha.
The other day I took my seat yet again among the elect, the section of the population of Dublin who are at the mercy of bus No. 123. The woman next to me started rambling on about this and that. This is something I have always liked about Dublin buses. There is often an "ole wan", an old woman who will tell you what she thinks about things in a friendly and non-threatening way. Usually she doesn't expect any response from you, your job is to listen. I was sitting comfortably, this old one had already begun her story. She was racing through the morning's events "...bus pass... waited for the bus... rain..shocking..." etc.
Then suddenly she went ".. .east Europeans... coming here... taking over... criminals... scoundrels... shouldn't be allowed... go home " etc.
She was leaning towards me. Her breath was in my face like a rotten dish cloth. I looked away. Should I say something? Am I "east European" myself? Does it make a difference? I kept my hooded ( slightly Mongolian?) eyes on the floor. I was overcome by embarrassment. For myself. For her. For the bus route.
I am going to WALK everywhere from now on as far as is possible.