Not Conditioned To See That On The Bus

(I am a passenger on the bus. We get to a stop and seem to take much longer than usual to get moving again. Then I realize why: a man is struggling to board the bus while carrying a huge backpack, a full plastic garbage bag, and an entire unplugged air conditioning unit, about three feet tall by two feet wide by one foot deep.)

Bus Driver: “That is the most bizarre thing that I’ve ever seen anyone bring onto my bus.”

Passenger: “Hey, man, I’m just doin’ what I gotta do.”

Bus Driver: “I’m not judging! One time I had a passenger bring a full keg of beer onto the bus. Apparently he’d been carrying it with him for a long way.”

Passenger: “Well, you see, it’s summertime and it’s just gonna get hotter! Everywhere else in the USA is already burnin’ up. I gotta have my AC, and this one-” *gesturing to the AC unit* “-was free!”

Bus Driver: “All right, just make sure you keep it secured so it doesn’t slide around the bus.”

Passenger: “I’m just doin’ what I gotta do! This way I save three or four hundred bucks, and I get my AC!” *smiling and patting the AC unit fondly* “Just what I gotta do!”

(I almost forgot to get off at my stop because I was so amused watching the passenger struggle to keep hold of the AC unit every time the bus stopped or turned. I hope he made it home all right with his precious AC!)