A Streetcar Named Backfire

(Salt Lake City has a rather extensive mass transit system that provides a direct link to the University of Utah. While riding one train through the city and heading home from the mall, I happen to see a number of students from the U all pile on. They’re pretty loud, having an obvious good time, right up to the point we near the next stop.)

Student #1: “Hey, he missed our turn!”

Student #2: “What, no way.”

Student #1: “Yeah, the d*** driver didn’t turn back there. Don’t they teach these idiots how to drive?”

Student #2: “Dude, it’s a bus. How smart do you have to be to drive it?”

Me: “Ah, just so you know, this isn’t a bus. It’s a streetcar. You know, a kind of train? They only go where the rails take it. No steering wheels. I wonder how smart you have to be then to get on a train and think it’s a bus. Wait, aren’t you in college?”

(Student #1 and #2 looked very sheepish, shut up and made no sound, and got off at the next stop and took off walking.)