Slice of Paper

I have to say, I’ve never seen anyone as crazy or idiotic as this old man. Today, while I was on the Metro and waiting till the bus crawl over to my stop, there was this deranged old man. At first, I thought he was your typical everyday short fuse, but this guy is batshit insane. This old timey man whose hummed the tunes of his Walkman! Powerful and strong cassette tapes dominate his mind! But what exactly happened?

The sun was setting and phones were buzzing. We were cruising down the street, each to his or her own agenda. Riders would board and depart the bus at each stop as if the bus wasn’t filled with people already. Engines revving to accelerate on the adjacent lane, we found ourselves with a ticking time bomb. Passengers moved back and forth through the aisle, crossing the man back and forth.

Every once in a while, someone would accidentally step on his foot. Frustrated, he would swear and shout. The man exclaims pain and hatred towards those who caused him such pain. Attempting to restore peace, the driver requests the man cease his dirty mouthing and settle down. Apologies are given and the man returns to his seat. He quietly sings alone to himself, grinning ear-to-ear as he listens to the cassette tape play.

The bus rolls along the blacktop and I stare out the window. Lights go red, and the bus ceases motion again at the traffic light. “Ding,” goes the sign it lights up with a pinkish tint. Walking down the aisle, a different man steps on the foot, adding to the boiling frustration.

The man scolds the newcomer to the battle and demands an apology, but he remains silent. Seconds feeling like minutes pass, and the supposed offender turns and apologizes for stepping on his foot. This wasn’t but without a remark though. Brave, he  makes it clear that we were tired of his whining and bull crap. But this only further irritated the steaming man. Past his limit, he starts shouting and raising his arms with intent to beat. Tired of the shouting, the driver boots the man off the bus. Screaming and yelling, he curses and lashes at black people with names and insults. Merely scoffing and gesturing the man to depart the bus, the man storms off the bus in a rage and continues on the sidewalk.

We cheer and rejoice in his departure! Smiles and grins fill the bus, pushing the dark ambiance out of the room.  The traffic light turns to green and the bus moves only to crawl over to the stop on the other side of the street. Merriment and laughter are cut short as yet again, we meet the crazy man. He repeats his offense, but we speed off after dropping off passengers and we finally leave him.

We leave, with me hoping what will become of him. I get off at my stop and head home for the day with thoughts of that strange man lingering in my head. Was he a senile old fool? How’d he break his foot? Has he gone to anger management? Soon after, I forget and carry on with my life.