The Wrong Trip Home

I arrived at the bus station just before the bus for New York was supposed to leave. It was hard to see where the bus said its destination was. I asked someone boarding the bus if the bus was going to New York. She said, “Yep.” I followed the lady, handed my ticket to the bus driver, and sat down.

The bus was in Massachusetts an hour later and heading west towards Albany. Looking at snowy farms for an extended period of time made me want to napped. The smooth purring of the diesel engine relaxed me enough to sleep.

”We are approaching Syracuse… Syracuse next stop!”

I went to the bus driver and asked him what time we were going to be in New York City… He chuckled and said that this bus isn’t going to New York City, but to Buffalo. I departed the bus in Syracuse.I went to the ticket agent and changed my destination from New York City to Harrisburg (the bus’s final destination) because Harrisburg is closer to my home in Washington than New York.

The bus arrived in Harrisburg shortly before 6PM. The temperature started to drop and the wind began to pick up. Flurries swirled in the air. The parking lot and the sidewalk were icy in spots. I tweaked my hamstring just before I entered the terminal. I limped to the ticket agent and told her I wanted to go to Washington D.C.. She gave me two tickets, one to New York and one from New York to Washington.

The bus for New York was scheduled to leave at 8:15 and arrive in New York City at 11:45PM. The bus to Washington was to leave at Midnight and arrive in Washington at 4:10AM.The trip was smooth until just before the bus arrived at the Lincoln Tunnel. Traffic was almost at a standstill. It was 11:20 when we hit the traffic and 12:05 when the bus pulled in the terminal.

The bus for Washington had just left and I was stranded at the terminal.The next bus was at 6:00 AM. Buses leave on the hour until Midnight. I was thinking about going to a hotel for the night, but I wanted to get home as soon as possible. I have a speech to give to the Masturbators of America in Fairfax, VA at 7:30PM. The theme of the speech will be, “Get a Grip!”I sat in the waiting area. A middle-aged woman approached me and asked for money, I told her that I couldn’t give her money because it might be looked as buying a vote. She told me what to do in her colorful New York vernacular.

The bus came at 5:50. I gave the driver my ticket and sat behind him. I was asleep before the bus pulled out. I didn’t wake up until we were in Maryland. The bus arrived in Washington just before 10:40.I took a cab home and crashed. I just woke up. I would write more, but I have to work on my speech.

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