(I’m on a five-hour coach trip. In front of me are a mum and dad with a little girl, about two or three years old, and next to them is another mum with a boy just a bit older. The families don’t know each other. As I can hear from hushed conversations between the mum and dad of the little girl, they forgot some snacks for her and can’t afford to buy anything from the small kiosk in the coach. When the boy in front of them gets a pack of cookies, the little girl starts crying because she wants some, too. Her parents try to console her but it’s not working.)

Little Boy: “Mama, why is the girl crying?”

His Mum: “I think she’s hungry, and she saw you get your cookies.”

Little Boy: “She doesn’t have cookies?”

His Mum: “No, she forgot her snacks like when you forgot your toy at grandma’s so you couldn’t play with it.”

(Obviously distraught at remembering this and hearing the little girl cry, the boy is quiet for a while before tugging on his mum’s sleeve.)

Little Boy: “Mama, I think I can make her happy. Can I share my cookies with her?”

His Mum: “If her parents say yes, of course you can.”

(The little boy leans over to the family and asks the mum if he can share his cookies with the girl, who immediately starts to beam and giggle when he hands her one. Her parents profusely thank him and his mum.)

Little Boy: “I got lotsa cookies and she has no cookies. Now we all have cookies and she is happy.”

(True to his word, he shared his whole bag of cookies with the little girl during the trip and also drew some pictures with her. It was one of the sweetest things I ever saw.)

(Shortly after getting to work, I realize that my bus fare card has just barely enough for my trip home. With no time in the day to get it filled and a hectic day at work, all I want to do was get home and crawl into bed. So I get on the bus and tap my card, which the machine beeps in response. I go to take my seat.)

Bus Driver: “Stop, you haven’t paid.”

(Thinking the machine didn’t register my card, I tap it again. However, the machine both clearly displays on the screen and by a colored light that I have actually paid.)

Bus Driver: “Not enough money. Go fill it up at the station.”

(Not only is the station across the street and around the corner, but I would have also needed to wait at least another half an hour for the next bus, of which I was in no mood for.)

Me: “Actually, I did pay. Look.” *taps card again, and again gets confirmation of payment*

Bus Driver: “No, there’s not enough money on your card. You need to go get more.”

Me: “No, the machine says I have already paid my fare. See?” *points to display, which very clearly says PAID*

Bus Driver: *ignores machine display completely* “You don’t have enough money.”

(This goes back and forth for several minutes, of which I am getting exceedingly more and more pissed off, as is the line of people being held up behind me. Finally…)

Bus Driver: *in a condescending tone* “Look, I’ll let you ride this time, but next time you should have enough money to pay the fare.”

(I bit my tongue at that point, because I felt like screaming at her “You mean the bus fare I HAVE ALREADY PAID?!”, as well as some other things that likely would have gotten me kicked off the bus anyway.)

(I am on a bus heading home from work. On the opposite seat from me is an attractive 20-something lady, who is talking on her phone. I am trying to read, and trying – and failing – not to eavesdrop.)

Lady: “So last weekend, I made myself some spaghetti bolognese for dinner. And then went to the pub. I must have had a lot to drink… Well, I don’t really remember coming home… Yeah, I woke up in bed… and I must have taken the leftover pasta with me… I had fallen asleep with it, and woke up naked, with pasta sauce all down my front!”

(At this point, although I tried to, I couldn’t completely stifle a laugh…)

Lady: “…and I think I just amused some guy on the bus!”

(A group of teenaged second-generation immigrants is trash-talking loudly, getting on everyone’s nerves. A single male passenger goes up to the bus driver to complain about the noise makers.)

Angry Man: “It’s always those f****** foreigners! They are too loud! Throw them out of your bus!”

Bus Driver: *with an accent* “And who do you think is going to drive the bus, then?”

(I’m learning to drive and have been practicing, but my learner’s permit expired. In my state, the office that handles licenses is called the Department of Licensing or DoL. I’m on the bus on my way to the DoL to get my permit renewed, when two slightly bedraggled-looking middle-aged women board the bus.)

Woman #1: *to the bus driver* “How do I find the DoL?”

Bus Driver: “I don’t know where that is.”

Woman #1: “It’s somewhere on 132nd St. How do I get there?”

Bus Driver: “I don’t know where the DoL is. 132nd St. is a big street.”

Woman #1: “But how do I get there?!”

Bus Driver: “Well, 132nd St. is next to 134th St. They go in order…”

Me: *stepping in because I can tell this conversation is going nowhere* “I’m also going to the DoL. You can just get off at the stop where I get off.”

Woman #1 & Woman #2: “Thank you so much!”

(The women take a seat at the back of the bus, talking the whole time about where the DoL is and how to get there. When we get close to the stop, I wave to them, and they wave back casually, like they know what to do. I assume they have figured out where to go and don’t really need my help any more. I get off the bus and walk to the crosswalk, thinking that they will see me as soon as they get off the bus.)

Woman #1 and Woman #2: *exit the bus, immediately turn away from me, and start walking down the street quickly in the wrong direction*

(I don’t really want to get involved, but I realize that they will never find the DoL without my help.)

Me: *sigh* “Excuse me!”

Woman #1 and Woman #2: *walking quickly away, not hearing me*

Me: “Excuse me! EXCUSE ME!”

Woman #1 and Woman #2: *finally turning around, clueless looks on their faces* “Oh, hello!”

Me: “Um, did you still want to go to the DoL? The crosswalk is actually this way…”

Woman #2: “Oh, wow! We had no idea! Thanks again!”

Me: “No problem. Just be careful crossing here because people tend to take this corner too fast.”

(We get safely across the street and the DoL is right in front of us. I think that they must have figured it out by now because we can see other people arriving and entering the building.)

Woman #1 and Woman #2: *turning the wrong way AGAIN and beginning to walk around the back of the building*

Me: “Oh, um, I think the entrance is actually on this side…”

Woman #2: “Thank goodness you are here to help us! We would be walking around in circles all day if it weren’t for you!”

Me: *trying not to let my face show that I think she’s right*

Woman #1: “And that bus driver was no help at all! I couldn’t believe that he wouldn’t help me! He was so rude.”

Me: *knowing that it was mostly her fault for not asking the right questions, but wanting to be polite* “Well, maybe he couldn’t hear you clearly. That bus was pretty noisy.”

Woman #1: “Maybe you’re right. That’s good to put a positive spin on it. I need some more positive things in my day.”

Me: “Well, I think we all do.”

(At this point we finally entered the DoL. The women were so grateful for my help that they let me go in front of them in line, and later when I left they both waved and smiled at me. I have no idea how they thought they could find their way on their own, but I’m glad I could add something positive to their day. I just hope they got home all right!)