Scott and I are in the middle of an east coast extravaganza right now. Part of this trip entailed taking a Vamoose bus from Bethesda, MD to New York City.
We sprung for the so-called gold bus this time, which offers such amenities as more leg room and bottled water. These configured with single seats on one side of the bus and rows of double seats across the aisle.
Scott and I took a row of double seats and settled in. An older man took one of the double seats behind us, leaving the seat next to him vacant. It soon became clear that it was going to be a full bus. People had been avoiding the empty seat next to the man behind us, but eventually, it was the only seat left on the bus. Someone asked to sit with him.
"Can't you sit somewhere else?" the man replied. "I have a bad leg."
His would be seat mate replied that there were no other seats left on the bus. The old man told him that there were plenty of seats "in the back".
The would be seat mate talked to one of the employees, who, with a commendable degree of diplomacy and tact, came back to inform the man that they needed to use every seat on the bus. Ultimately, an older woman ended up in the empty seat next to him.
The man seemed to enjoy having a seat mate after all the dust had settled. Scott and I learned a great deal about his life from hearing him talk to his seat mate, including the woes of his bad leg.
But lo and behold! When the bus pulled in to its final destination in front of the Bagel Maven in New York City, the man whose leg was so bad that he couldn't stand up to let someone else take the seat next to him leapt to his feet and rushed to the front of the bus. So complete was his recovery that he was even the first person off the bus.
It was a true Vamoose bus miracle. Having witnessed this miracle firsthand, I highly recommend the restorative powers of long distance bus rides to anyone suffering from aches and pains.
:)
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