It’s very cold, very wet, and very dark out this morning.  The eight of us waiting at the bus stop each form a one-man huddle for warmth, then move in unison, like a school of fish, as the bus rounds the curve and approaches our stop.  It’s a mindless thing, shuffling aboard, scanning the ORCA card; then we seamlessly switch into mental overdrive - scanning quickly and efficiently for a spot to sit (“not by him, too talkative; not by her, too many packages; never by that one, those kids are out of control”) while simultaneously avoiding the eyes of those watching us board.  Humans are endlessly interesting.

After I sit I find I’m restless this morning, no desire to read, so instead I begin to daydream a bit.  At the next stop my friend, the little guy who caused a ruckus one evening in the tunnel by singing and being generally obnoxious, gets on.  I’ve begun calling him Squirrely Joe for lack of a real name.  (In my inner monologue, everyone is a “Joe” – my dog is wiggly Joe or smelly Joe, depending on the circumstances.)  Squirrely Joe has been a model citizen ever since that first day, and I continue to wonder about him.  Today I watch him covertly as he fiddles with his iPhone and drowses, and I extrapolate several scenarios that may have made him act out that evening…most of which include some kind of medication (or lack thereof).  The mystery continues; I wonder if I’ll ever know?

Across from me is a massive young man.  We’re on the side-facing seats at the center of the bus, in the rotating circle, with accordion folds behind each of us.  There are two seats on my side, two on his.  He fills 80% of his two seats and has a large, very full backpack besides.  He gets on at my stop - I’ve seen him several times, but he never speaks or meets anyone’s eyes.  We’re a generally friendly group who at least wishes each other good morning, but not this one.  Being socially awkward myself I do know the signs of an introvert, but he goes above and beyond.  “Next time I’ll say hi and see what happens”, I think, but today I just observe.  His hair is that indiscriminate light brown that is so common and forgettable, but it’s frothy and fluffy like cotton candy, curling and swirling above his enormous head.  His glasses are wire rimmed and the lenses are covered in fingerprints and who knows what.  He wears a bland grey or beige tee shirt under a corduroy jacket the same bland color as his hair, paired with jeans and sneakers.  The backpack is silver grey and bulges at every possible spot with some kind of protrusion.  What does he carry?  I assume he’s in college, he appears to be in his 20s, but could be older.  But who needs everything they own, every day, even at school?  What catches my eye and my fancy today are three tiny buttons he wears on the jacket’s lapel.  One shows a female anime character – I’m not terribly surprised.  Another says “Jesus is coming – look busy!” and that makes me smile, because I have that same button.  A third inexplicably depicts a strawberry.  Nothing else.  No logo, no design, just a picture of a strawberry.  I am fascinated and befuddled.

At the last stop before the freeway a young man enters the bus.  He’s very well turned out; hair gelled just so, navy cashmere sweater over a sunshine yellow button down shirt, well-fitting dark khakis and cognac dress shoes.  He sits in the empty seat next to me and then I notice his ears…he has giant metal circles stretching out the piercing in his earlobes – they must be at least 1” across.  I shudder a bit – I don’t mind piercings but for some reason, earlobe plugs turn my stomach.  I wonder where he works?  I’ve seen him before so I assume he is commuting (no overfilled backpack here), but where could he work where the ears are appropriate with his dress? 

I wish I could follow all the regulars on the bus to see where they spend their days…the artificial intimacy of the transit system has me feeling that we’re some kind of massive, dysfunctional family and I long to understand what prompts the journey for everyone.  Maybe someday.