If you’re ever in need of character inspiration, I suggest utilizing the local car dealership’s shuttle service. With the many adventures of Agatha, my broke-ass Explorer, I’ve taken advantage of this service often, and have been fortunate enough to meet a wide variety of fascinating individuals. Across the board, they’ve all been of retirement age and slight of build. Aside from that, they’ve been as diverse as Agatha’s plethora of issues.
There was the nut-brown gentleman who loved gospel music and loved bananas even more than that–but only as long as they were as withered and dark as he was. There was the grandfatherly man who had connections at the Holocaust museum in D.C. and insisted I hit him up for guaranteed tickets the next time I want to go. Today, though, was my absolute favorite. The slightest of them all, shoulder-level to my five-nine stature, he stood with a sloped back, oversized glasses and a high-and-tight haircut he has undoubtedly sported since his glory days in the Marines. Despite the large “No Smoking in Shuttle” sign affixed to the dash (which would have ended up embedded in my face in the event of an air bag deployment), the windows were coated with a thick film of nicotine, the air stale with tobacco. The grim set of his jaw and hardened eyes inspired me to call him, “Sir,” with each clipped question he shot in my direction. Aside from telling him the way to my house, the stilted conversation covered only the lack of skill of other drivers–this done as he called a metro bus picking up passengers a ‘bonehead’ and peeled out into the next lane and then swerved back just in time to make the turn onto my street. As I gratefully climbed out of the van, he told me to, “Keep them straight.” Despite my uncertainty as to who “they” were and why they needed straightening, I heartily agreed to do just that.
Agatha should be ready for pick-up this afternoon. As I’ve never had the same driver twice, I’m pretty excited to see what will be waiting behind the wheel this time.
Hell and Wheels 
January 11th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Miladysa — They do make the world a more interesting place, don’t they?Thanks for stopping by!
January 10th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
lol – I love eccentrics 🙂
December 3rd, 2007 at 9:26 pm
Sidney and Sqt — Maybe there’s a coffee table book in there? A cross section of mass transportation’s finest in all its varied forms. It’s like that old Sesame Street song, “It’s the people that you meet when you’re walking down the street each day!”Steve — Thanks. I’m happy to be back.
December 3rd, 2007 at 9:23 pm
*LOL*Good to see you back, Avery!
December 1st, 2007 at 7:21 am
Oh goodness, anytime you’re in a public transportation situation you’re likely to meet some interesting people. I encountered this everyday when I was in Japan since the whole country is criss-crossed with trains. Mostly, you deal with perverts trying to grab your breasts (if you’re a woman–most of the time) or someone falling asleep on your shoulder. Great fodder for a novel.
November 30th, 2007 at 10:31 pm
I got a rental when my car was rear-ended, but the produced a kind of interesting experience. There was a guy turning in a car at the same time I was and it turned into a rousing dispute with the clerk over an $80 extra driver charge.It was quite a show. It’s definitely worthwhile to rub elbows with a diverse crowd.
November 27th, 2007 at 5:47 pm
Yeah, a couple of mine knew some excellent back routes as well. Since my town is pretty small they weren’t technically shortcuts.
November 27th, 2007 at 4:55 pm
Strangely enough, I had just such a ‘shuttle’ experience myself recently. And the guy was indeed a charcter. An older fellow, rail thin, and given to nonstop talking. But he did know some short cuts that I have since come to appreciate.