I might be in a parallel universe where people are really starved for attention and think the best way to deal with it is by talking out loud at nobody in particular, while also everyone in particular.

It's incredible. Dude is arguing with his girlfriend on the phone in a loud voice after the driver specifically told him to keep it down because there's no cell phone conversations even allowed on the bus. What does he do? He just keeps on talking. Then he gets off the phone and out loud says,

I hate this crazy bitch. Blah, blah, blah. Something else I blocked out...

Ok, if you hate her, break up with her and do it over text. Talk about hypocrisy and denseness. Dude, you hate your woman because she won't listen to you, or doesn't agree with you. So you subject the whole damn bus to your idle domestic dispute because you have no sense of what it is to be a hypocrite.

She's inconsiderate. That's bad. You're inconsiderate... what?

How am I being inconsiderate??? (He might as well said).

Ok, I know I'm ranting now and subjecting you to a bunch of crap you may not care about. But at least you're not stuck on a bus with me being forced to hear this. Mind you-- the guy wasn't complaining about his girlfriend to his buddy sitting next to him. He's just venting out loud like the bus is the audience of Maury Povich or Jerry Springer, just eager for him to share his tale of woes.

It must have something to do with bus travelers. There's an odd bunch here. We don't have cars... or if we do, they're probably not in good working order. Or we share a car with someone and can't take it on our trip. We can't afford a flight, which is usually just a little more $ than a bus. Or else we would just fly and save the time and headache.

One more lady I'll rant about before I wrap this one up.

She's in the way back with me on the first leg of my trip back from Virginia to Tennessee and she's just talking out loud into the air. The dude next to her was noticeably not interested. Sure he'd look over her way every 15 seconds or so and nod his head or give her a "yup" or an "ok" or something like that so as to not be rude, but he was obviously not interested. Now, did she just not care that he wasn't into her random babbling or was she oblivious to all his body language?

Then later after a stop, he gets up and sits in another part of the bus where a passenger had vacated at said stop.

Now you'd think this would be a clue to her that perhaps she was acting in a socially undesirable way. No, it was not.

Now, I tell you, she was probably in her early 50s or so and rather overweight, and smelling of nicotine just oozing out of every pore. Do I feel bad for her? Yeah, I do. Do I feel a little bad disparaging her like this publicly? Yeah, a bit, but it's a good story I think. And once again, you can leave at any time we're not on a bus together.

So after the guy next to her leaves, she turns my way and starts talking.

She's complaining about how long she's been on the bus and how she has had to be on a bus one day longer than she had initially planned, and how she's going to dispute the situation with Greyhound and appeal to have them give her some money back or something.

Now, I didn't make eye contact with her or acknowledge her. I just sort of stared off the in distance as one would do who was trying to make it clear that they either weren't hearing the sounds hitting their face or that they were intently focused on something else --- like retaining one's sanity.

She just sort of sprayed her diatribe around the bus like one of those lawn sprinklers that pivots back and forth.

Eventually, she soaked the girl in the seat in front of me. She politely looked at her while the big complainer complained in her direction. No attempt whatsoever of letting the listening woman into the conversation or to acknowledge that there was another person being subjected to the endless complaining.

I'm happy about people being talkable IF THERE IS A CONVERSATION TAKING PLACE!

Both people sharing ideas, asking one another questions, etc.

I could go on about this sort of thing on the bus and tell you about the guy repeatedly going into the bathroom to do coke, but I'll stop. I'm glad I vented. And if nobody listens... great.

None of you are stuck on a bus with me.

God bless.

~ @writewords