Pauline

I was on a late shift today so I took the 4.10 bus. I was wide awake it was warm and the sun was just thinking about going down. I put my ipod on and settled in for a very pleasant wait for the bus. After about 2 minutes I saw one of my neighbors coming out of my road probably out for a walk or to post a letter I thought. As she progressed it dawned on me that she may be getting the same bus as me. (I should state here that I am not a normal man I am quite confident that I am a 12 year old boy born in 1920 trapped inside the body of a man born in the 1980's so naturally I am not to good at intergenerational pleasantries, or any pleasantries really). Then as she looked to cross the road it became obvious that she was.

I am never sure of the distance it is appropriate to acknowledge that you have noticed and know the person, is it when you first see them but cannot be heard, if so then you must some how be friendly, not aloof, not over attentive for the time between the greeting and the passing. today I chose wrong she was crossing the road and I did the eyebrow and chin lift hi just before I thought that she was going to cross, she did not cross at that time so I had to pretend to be intently watching a car as it drove down the road. I did this four or five times.

So she finally crossed the road (I duno why I put a paragraph break there, it just looked like alot of text in one chunk) and I said hi to this woman who I have nothing in common with, I once spent a summer playing cricket with her daughter, occasionally her and my mother converse since I became an adult(30th January 2002) I chip in sometimes (I had to restrain my self from releasing the diatribe of bile and hate that was running through my mind when we last met, she said that they were having Christmas dinner on Christmas eve rather than Christmas day, I mean really!). So as she moves towards the bus stop I get more and more nervous, what should I do. Should I chat about her church or my job should we sit together on the little bench, or should we stand there in silence. I elected for the latter, but I realised to late that the way I have been standing is very rude and that can't move for fear of being embroiled in a discussion about her, or even worse my life. I am now worried about everything I do. I have to listen to two crap songs on my ipod because I’m scared that looking at my ipod may be rude same goes for the watch so I can't tell if the bus is late or not.

When the bus comes I get on first to an empty bus this provides me with a quandary which seat to sit in that does not offend the wench that has chosen to get my bus. I choose the high back seat that is on the lower level so it's comfortable and unusually enough so she can see why I chose it and not raised so she is intimidated. I sit down feeling smug that I have made the right decision. She gets on and sits down on the seats at the front that face the side and turns her back to me! The journey continues more people get on I think about what I am going to write in my blog. She gets off at the high street a twenty minute walk that I took earlier that day. Why did she put me though all that to save a twenty minute walk? bint