Sick Of The Bus

I was riding on the bus as I so often do, listening to my music. I get pretty into it, so it's easy for anything around me to escape my notice. I've gotten closer to being harmed through carelessness than I care to admit for that reason. It must have been a pretty awesome song for me to have not noticed what was going on somewhere behind me, though. That I should have missed hearing, seeing or smelling something is the source of significant alarm for me.

I was tipped off by a woman exiting the bus before me. She gestured at the floor, where I noticed a fluid rolling towards the front of the bus under my feet. I took this to be water from the bottle I was carrying. I thanked her for bringing the leak it must have sprung to my attention. Oh, but that's not what it was. I owe her a debt for her persistence in explaining the thing to me, for I would have taken no action except for tightening the lid on the bottle. As it was, I was quick to do something once I knew what it was.

It was vomit. Someone had thrown up rather spectacularly just a few feet behind me, and I had taken no notice of it whatsoever. I was properly disgusted, you may be sure of that. I urgently checked myself to see whether I had been hit. By the grace of God, I had not, but there was the expelled stomach contents cascading downhill under the seats of people who still clearly did not know, or who are so much more hardbitten than I am that it did not even warrant a glance.

I moved seats so that I was out of its reach. Once I finally was able to get off the bus, I anxiously scraped my shoes on the sidewalk for fear that some vomit or traces thereof clung to me. I think I was all right on that score. Now, unpleasant though the experience was, I find that it was enriching in a way. Hardship does build character, I believe. I was skeptical when this was meant as an inducement to do chores, but now I think it's correct. Even if it's not, stuff like that makes for a great story, although it has limited utility considering it can't be used at any social gathering which entails eating.