Bus Stop

Bus Stop
WC 298

I moved to this town a month ago. I found a good job and a nice house. I take the #4 bus every day to work. It stops right on the corner near my house. And then it stops on the corner near my office. Convenient. I can leave my car in the garage all week.

Most days I can get a window seat. Today was one of those days. There are twenty stops from home to work. Twenty times we stop and start. Unless there is no one at the stop, then we roll on.

But today at the stop at 5th and Vine, there was a dog. It stood by itself at the stop. The bus driver stopped and opened the door. The dog climbed on board. The bus driver looked at the dog. The dog dropped a token in the driver’s hand and sat beside the step. The door closed and on the bus traveled to the next stop where the dog got off.

I thought that quite a bit curious. I wanted to talk to someone about this. But everyone was either texting, or talking on their device, or reading, or sleeping. No one saw the dog. Had I seen the dog?

I asked the driver when I got off.

“Does that dog ride the bus often?”

“Only the third Tuesday in January.” He looked at me with a smile.

“Oh? Why only then?” I was trying to discard the idea of a dog using a token to ride a bus as absurd.

“That’s his day to visit his vet. See you later, bud.” He shut the door as I stepped off.

All day at work, I looked forward to my bus ride home. I hoped to see the dog after its vet visit.