MBTA part 6

At some point I'll have to compile all the stories I've written about what I've seen on the MBTA. They might add up to a good length essay. I've got two more to add to the list, both from today and from the same commute home from West Roxbury.

I take two buses to get home, the #36 from West Roxbury to Forest Hills Station and then the #21 from Forest Hills to a block from my house. You've seen the ride to work, which is hectic because of how many people crowd the buses. On the way home, the rides can take as much as twice as long because the buses don't run as often. It's a pain, but you just get used to it and learn the bus schedule so you do as little waiting as possible.

When I got on the #36 to go to Forest Hills there was one man on the bus, sitting near the operator talking with him as if they were old friends. As I walked by, he reached into a black plastic bag and pulled out a Natty Ice and cracked it open. He finished that on while the bus waited, and killed one more before getting off the bus. Shortly after, I fell asleep.

Usually, the MBTA provides me with one outrageous situation per day, but I guess I had earned the double because I walked into another one as I was boarding the #21 at Forest Hills. While boarding the bus, the driver, a heavier set woman with short, close cropped brown hair, told a teen that he couldn't board the bus. The teen got off and made a fuss about it, calling her a bitch and other names.

It got interesting when they began to trade "yo mama" barbs. As far as I can tell, there was some issue about whether the teen would pay the fare. To that end, the operator, who had a long line of people waiting to board the bus, allowed everyone to ride for free.

As the bus pulled off, the operator made a point to yell out of the door that her shift ended at 5 p.m. and he could find her at Forest Hills. She also informed the teen that she had brothers and that she was "real hood" and that "they could do this." I just had to laugh. I really mean it when I say I love the MBTA.