The Mini Bus Chronicles # 200701

I go to work five days a week riding different types of mini-buses. Every ride is a unique experience with a story to tell. Like last Wednesday morning. It was 9:00 and I was jolted out of my reverie by a loud-mouthed thin woman dressed in a teacher's uniform.

" Magbabayad na lang ako sa iyo ng 150 pesos. Paandarin mo na itong bus mo at nagmamadali ako." She told the driver as soon as she climbed the bus. She has not taken her seat yet. Aba, so demanding, I thought. I glanced at the other passengers who like me, all turned their eyes at her.

The driver looked at her but did not reply. The bus was parked at the kanto of one of the largest off-road barangay in our town waiting for passengers to the city. It is a daily schedule, therefore, no matter how rushed the passengers are, they have no choice but to stay put and wait. And daydream, as I often do as a defense mechanism to the boredom and irritation caused by minutes of doing nothing.

The woman sat at the second row from behind the driver's seat. She has not stopped yakking:

"Mga demonyong tricycle driver yan. Kung hindi lang ako nagmamadali, hindi naman ako magpapahatid sa kanila. Sabi ko syento-singkwenta lang ang ibabayad ko, kumakana ba naman ng dalawang daan! Mga putang-inang, mapagsasamantala."

She was not speaking to the driver. She was not speaking to her seatmate. In fact, she was not speaking to anybody at all! Hay naku, but we can't help but listen. And listen I did because I saw a potential blog entry.

"O, eto 150, sige na, ikana mo na nang makita nyang mga tricycle driver na yan." The driver looked up to her but said nothing, a look of boredom crossing his face. The look in the face of a father while his wife nags about the mess in the sala or lack of money to pay for a child's school project. He took the bill, called and gave the money to the conductor, changed gears and drove off.

I thought the driver would refuse because I understand that there is a time schedule that all drivers of our town follow. But what the heck, I guess he was just being pragmatic. Or better, he wants to avoid picking up a fight with a woman scorned. What I earlier thought as a bad morning turned to a lucky Wednesday after all. I settled into my seat right next to the doorway and resumed daydreaming. Mentally drafting what would now be the first entry of The Mini Bus Chronicles.