Use a Radio, Go to Jail - Metro 6
Another bus ride with the colorful citizens of Santa Cruz. Why not hop on for 5 minutes!
This is #6 in a series of short trips on the Santa Cruz Metro bus, where our diverse residents show their colors and later become characters in 🌿 stories. Come along for the ride. Links to other rides are at the bottom of the page.
A couple of new signs are glued to the overhead panel of the bus today. A committee decision, no doubt. I’ve often suspected there are handguns stuffed in pockets on some of these buses. It is very possible — this is, after all, America. But it’s ludicrous to think that anyone carrying a gun would be deterred by the sign.
So far, I have never felt threatened by a passenger brandishing a radio. Though I could imagine it might go down something like this. “Okay, fools! Everyone on the floor! Get down! Give me your money, your watches and your jewelry or I’ll tune this fucking radio to Christian Rock right now!”
• Really not much going on this morning on the 3B line, but I do see an identical twin of the Pillsbury Dough Boy a couple of seats back. Looks just like him. He has spent entirely too much time getting acquainted with his cookie jar, if you ask me, but, then, who am I to talk?
• An older woman is rummaging through two bags full of treasure from the Dollar Tree. She probably went in just to buy Kleenex, but came out with a bucket, a dishpan, 3 hairnets, a large slotted spoon, a bag of Cheetos, greeting cards, wrapping paper, rubber gloves, mint-flavored Chap Stick ( four-pack), birthday candles, strawberry shampoo. Imagine the money she’s saved!
• A small boy is whining and kicking the seat in front of him, “I don’t wanna go shopping! I don’t wanna go shopping! I don’t wanna go shopping!” His mom wants to go shopping. Who’s winning this battle? Too close to call. My guess is she will sweeten the deal by buying him a two-liter bottle of Coke.
• Three girls board - maybe they’re 8 or 9 years old. They sit down together and instantly start scrolling and swiping on their phones. Though they are of the same age and obviously friends, for 20 minutes they have no interaction with each other or with their surroundings. They are on a plane of non-existence. It is hard to predict what will become of these children.
• A down and out guy, already heavily sedated at 10:00 am, brings his large yellow dog on board and introduces her to all of us as Daisy. His over-large pants threaten to slip off his bony hips at any moment He wants to chat with the driver, who very politely suggests, “Why don’t you find a seat and make yourself comfortable, and we’ll be on our way. I can’t drive until you are sitting down.” The man obeys, but springs out of his seat three more times to interact with the driver, who calmly asks him to sit down each time. We are about 15 minutes behind schedule now. Finally the man pulls the bell cord, gets up to leave, and says to the driver, “My name’s Augustine. In case I see you again, what’s your name. The driver points to the embroidered patch on his sleeve and says, “I am 1429.” One fist bump and we are moving again.
• Mr. 1429 is so kind. He’s smiling patiently as an elderly man and woman board, when an impatient pick-up swings around the stopped bus to pass it and clips the mirror, breaking it off. The driver calls in to report the damage and now we are, all of us, per Metro policy, filling out cards testifying to what we witnessed and saying we are not injured. He gives instructions in English and Spanish several times. Another 10 minutes go by. He collects the cards and finally we are on our way again.
• A lovely elderly lady with long gray hair is wearing a cap that is encrusted with sparkling rubies. Spectacular in the sunlight! There are multi-color jewels on the collar of her shirt, and a sprinkle of diamonds decorate her tennis shoes. I think of Lucy in the Sky… She could be the mascot for this nutty little seaside town - all she lacks, really, is a magic wand and some Tarot cards.
You may think that 11:00 a.m. is a little too early for a Margarita, but you would be wrong. Not where I live anyway. I’ve finished my errands and the next bus to take me home isn’t for half an hour, so I step into Chili’s to kill time. The bartender not only uses the wrong glass, but I believe he forgot to put the tequila into the drink. Or maybe they don’t put the tequila in until after 12:00? This is just lemonade. Maybe he thinks a woman my age wouldn’t notice? I noticed. Or that a woman my age couldn’t handle a full shot of tequila. I can. Note to self: don’t drink at Chili’s.
I am sitting at the bar, with my sad late-morning Virgin Margarita, and I notice there are seven TVs all turned on to different sports. One is tuned to some guys going on and on about the value of the contracts of top NFL quarterbacks… $40 million. $55 Million. For the likes of Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, … etc. Yes, I said millions.
I admit I might be out of touch, but compare that to the annual salary of nurses, firemen, or, God help them, teachers, and rationalize that if you can.
Thanks for riding with me on the Santa Cruz Metro today. Here are a few other short rides, if you want a transfer. Some are scary, some are funny, some are poignant and all rides are free today and every day.
Mayhem on Six Wheels - Metro 1
Characters in Search of a Story -Metro 2
Summer Solstice Party Bus - Metro 4
I LOVE riding on the bus with you, Sharron. The more I do, the more I'm tempted to start hopping on a bus now and then (or a train--I miss riding on a train). I don't know, however, that I'm as observant as you are or perhaps as creatively astute to ID people to feature in this wonderful stories. Keep them coming! xo. P.S. "plane of non-existence" indeed!
I really enjoy these bus rides. You make it so real, you can almost smell it. Thanks!