The Bus Journey(Kristin Dockar) The Bus Journey

Mabel waited patiently for the 4.10 bus to arrive. It was cold and windy at the bus stop, and almost dark on this February afternoon. She had just finished her cleaning jobs for the week, all private clients gathered from ‘word of mouth’ recommendations. She enjoyed her work, making order out of chaos, and liked the look on her clients’ faces when they saw what she had achieved for them. At 62, she still wanted to work and earn some money. As she said to Bernie, her husband, ‘It’s better than sitting at home watching the telly all day’.
There was no one else waiting for the bus and it always felt a bit lonely standing there. She was a small, tidy looking woman with a neat bob haircut, and wearing sensible shoes.

Mabel watched cars driving into the adjacent petrol station and wished she had learnt to drive. Oh well, too late now.
Gazing up the road, she saw the bus approaching and stepped forward to wave it down. She got on, flashed her bus pass at the driver and settled into her seat. Nobody sat in front of her, but there was a group of four middle aged people to the side of her. Mabel was always interested in fellow passengers. When she got home to Bernie, she usually had tales to tell of her bus journey.

Ten minutes along the route, the bus pulled into a stop. Mabel could see an agitated young couple waiting at the bus stop. As they got on, the young chap was shouting: ‘Come on, hurry up’. The young woman looked a bit bewildered but obeyed. They sat opposite Mabel, and he immediately began jabbing at the screen on his phone. His body language conveyed pure stress.
‘I don’t know where to get off. I don’t know anywhere round here. How we supposed to know what to do?’
He was so agitated but Mabel noticed that he looked clean and tidy. He was wearing quite an old-fashioned peaked cap. Taking a chance, she leaned across and asked: ‘Where is it you’re looking for?’
The young chap looked startled but said quietly that they were looking for a particular supermarket that was doing decent food deals. He showed her a suitcase that he said they were going to fill up with food.
‘Right’ said Mabel ‘You need to get off at Mill station. I’ll tell you when we’re there. Then it’s just a ten-minute walk’.
The couple looked relieved, ‘Thank you’ they both chorused.
‘It’s no problem’.
‘We’ve just moved down here. Don’t know anybody. Social Care are helping us. We just keep looking for places that sell the cheapest food’.
‘Right’ said Mabel again ‘Look here’s your stop’ and standing up she pointed out the road they needed to take to their supermarket. As they got off the bus, Mabel watched him pulling the small suitcase along. There was something sad and vulnerable about that couple, but she wasn’t quite convinced by their story.
‘Cost of living crisis’ said her fellow passengers ‘Hope they’re not into shop lifting’.

She settled back into her seat as the bus lurched along the route for another few minutes and then it was waved down by a single chap. He got on the bus, cursing and swearing, asking the driver aggressively how long it would take to reach the town centre.
Sitting down in front of Mabel, he turned around and asked aggressively:
‘How long to the town centre?’
‘About 5 minutes now’ she replied. She noticed his face fall.
‘Is that not OK for you?’
‘No’ he shouted ‘I’m desperate for a wee’.
He spent the next five minutes jiggling about in his seat and pulling his hoodie on and off.
And then jumping up he rang the bell for the next stop and got off saying ‘I’ll go in the bushes’.
The passengers all looked at each other in amazement.
‘What next?’ thought Mabel.

Arriving at the bus station, she texted Bernie and told him she would meet him opposite the police station.
Mabel always thought this was the most sensible pick-up point given the town’s reputation.
She liked to watch the comings and goings from the police station. There always seemed to be activity. As she stood waiting for her husband, she saw a police car approach the barrier to the car park and sitting in the back was the young couple from off the bus.
‘Well, there you are’ thought Mabel. ‘So that suitcase was there for a reason. Wait till I tell Bernie tonight. How sad’. She watched as the police took the couple out of the squad car. Both were handcuffed, and one of the police officers was wheeling the suitcase along.
Not ten minutes later, to her utter amazement, another police car pulled in and the young hoodie chap sat in the back.
‘Well, I never. Thought he looked up to no good’ she thought.
As she turned away, Bernie pulled up’
‘Alright my lovely’ he greeted her, ‘any excitements on the bus today?’
‘You just won’t believe what’s happened today. Tell you all about it over a cup of tea’.

Some weeks later, reading the local paper, Mabel saw that there had been a police drive to deal with local crime. She read the court reports and learnt that the young couple were serial shop lifters who travelled about, and the hoodie chap had been charged with Indecent exposure’.
Reading the article out to Bernie, their faces registered amazement.
‘And to think it was just my bus journey home’ said Mabel.

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