Sunday, June 19, 2011

It's summer and you know what that means? A little bus romance...

This is a VERY delayed blog post which I usually try to avoid, but as y'all know - life just sometimes happens.

So transport back in time a few days - just this past Wednesday. I end up commuting via bike/bus as some friends and I are meeting up in Ferndale (hence the amazing bike rack picture below) after work. Melissa and I are planning on bussing together but due to mis-communication and mass bus-confusion, we don't end up on the same bus. I am a HOT mess when I get on the bus - I don't pay my fare for about 3 stops because I'm on the phone realizing that Melissa and I missed each other (and of course the bus driver says nothing and kindly drives on as I fumble in my bag for my bus pass for what feels like 25 minutes). My bike helmet is still on at this point, and when I look at my bike on the rack? Yup - my front headlight is still flashing and probably annoying the bejesus out of the driver. It's always when you're a total hot mess when a potential suitor comes into the mix (or does this just happen to me?). This man gets on the bus and says 'oh, those are the prettiest blue eyes that I've ever seen under a bike helmet.' What? I just have too much going on to handle this - so he gets a wan smile and I move to the back of the bus where I try to pretend the flashing disco-quality-headlight bike doesn't belong to me (oh, that's not my bike - but I ALWAYS just carry around a bike helmet because you never know!).

There's this older lady in front of me and we randomly get into a conversation about texting and cell phone plans. This part of the story isn't that awesome, but she's key later.

My bus suitor clearly hasn't expressed himself enough so he comes and sits behind me. I will try to summarize because this conversation literally happened from Midtown all the way past 6 Mile. And my responses weren't really that important to the overall amazingness of these interaction (I will interject some thoughts/comments in parentheses though):

"So, you ride that bike a lot? It looks like you do. You look like you're in shape. Do you ride the bus a lot? What do you do for a living? Oh, FINANCE! I own my own finance company...we help...ummmm...people do their finances (read: payday lender)! Yeah. I live in Highland Park - have you ever been there? OH! You got a speeding ticket in Highland Park?? Oh my...I'm marching right down to City Hall and letting them know that beautiful women should be able to do whatever they want in the HP. How old are you? I'm 26. Wow, you don't look a day over 25. So have you found Jesus yet (my response = 'Oh, I didn't know I was supposed to be looking for him'?)? You know what I liked about you? You marched right back here and sat in the back of the bus with all the black people. Did you notice you were the only white person back here (for the record - nope)? You know - I think we are making a lot of people around here uncomfortable - a white lady and a black man hooking up (ummmm a bit presumptuous, yeah?). SEE! See that lady over there? She just turned away (when she was obviously just looking how the window, seriously, probably thankful that this guy wasn't talking to her). We have to talk quieter. Shhhhh. So how tall are you? How much do you weigh (I'm about to teach him a little something about talking to a lady)?? I weigh 180 - do you weigh more or less? LESS? Oh no. I like my ladies to weigh more than me. Oh well, can I call you? Oh you have a boyfriend (white lie alert)...well my question still stands. Can I call you? No? Hmmm. Ok, well I believe in fate, and I think fate will bring us together on this bus again.'

I'm not sure I need to write much more than what the cell-phone-plan lady turned around and said after this individual left the bus.

"Look, I don't know you. But I certainly think you need someone more mature than that. I was listening to that whole thing and you handled yourself so well and like a lady. That's impressive. I was also listening because I was afraid he was about to get disrespectful, and the minute he did? I was about to turn around and say - you leave her alone. No one deserves to be disrespected when they're just trying to live their lives, get home from work. I had your back, honey.'

So just plain crazy and then crazy nice - but this was a different type of Detroit kindness. The fellow female bus rider solidarity kind! #lovedetroit


  1. Wow! That conversation actually reminds me of someone. Too funny Julie!

  2. At least with the flashing disco headlight, Jesus will be easier to find.

  3. Half of you was shocked that he actually said that, and half of you was struggling to come up with a response.... sounds like you were hit on by the black michael scott.

  4. This isn't about romance at all, but I was once riding the bus while wearing khaki BDU's (read: army pants) that were issued to me in AmeriCorps and a guy asked me if he could buy them. Pretty sure I asked him what I would wear home and he said he would give me his.