The way I look, I should be asking you for money

So, I left Ron at home, snoring away.  I don't know how he made it back to bed.  [shrug] 

I looked all over for my bus pass, sobbing in frustration.  Quietly, though, I didn't want to wake him up and get the whole scene. 

I had a few singles, so I just took them and some quarters (regular person fare is $1.25, no transfers, if cash).  I broke a $5 and got some more change.  While waiting at the last bus stop, to come home, what should I find but the pass?  Frustrating. 

I thought for a while about what I'd like to do.  It was cold, feels like low-30's all day.  Some rain in the morning.  I dressed in long underwear leggings, under sweat pants.  I wore a long sleeved cotton tshirt under my fleece jacket, and my big blue coat with scarf, gloves, and hat on top of that. 

I finally decided I would like to go to the home improvement store's garden center.  It would involve a few buses. 

Amazingly, I caught my connector bus quickly.  I got off at the transfer point and walked, thinking.  I had a long wait at the next bus stop. 

That's where I saw the twitchy guy.  He looked like he was in withdrawal, manic, and drunk.  YIKE.  Happily, I had a book, and my "ears" (headphones connected to MP3 player), and the cultural mandate "Don't bother her, she's BUSY" held.  I was glad I had my pepper spray.  Like I said, I am not often frightened at the bus stop. 

He got on the "bad" bus, so I think he was "drug-seeking".  My favorite was the guy in designer shoes (I wore a very old pair of sneakers, the soles are coming off, but they don't mind getting wet), tried to beg for money!  From me! 

Something about a cup of coffee!  I just kept going (after the Tenderloin district of San Francisco, I am pretty immune to soliciting and creepiness), thinking to myself... the way I look, I should be asking YOU for money.  [snort]

No one wants trouble; they just want the bus to come quickly so they can get "destinated".  They don't want drama and problems (possibly legal) with complete strangers.  I've ridden the bus for a good, oh, 19 years now.   Seldom had an issue. 

I was happy to see Twitch go.  I waited with a young Black man in gang colors.  [shrug]  Like I said, no one wants trouble.  I read my book (they lived happily ever after), and my bus came. 

I rode to the garden center and had a look around.  Not much.  I used the bathroom and left.  I walked a while, took a bus, and went to Walmart.  Their garden center looked a lot better.  They had Caladiums (a pretty, leafy, thing that likes shade), and seed potatoes.  Happily, the variety I picked is well reviewed in my Houston Organic veggie book. 

I bought some sugarfree cookies, and some soda.  As I crossed the parking lot I saw "my" bus pull up to the stop.  I tried to run, but the guy in the Mustang decided to be cute and cut me off.  Curse you, yellow mustang. 

It was a long and cold wait of 45 minutes at the bus stop.  Then some guy walked up, smoking, standing upwind.  Yuck.  The bus came. 

Let's take a moment to praise God for nice, warm, Metro buses.  Aaaah.  The drivers wear shortsleeves, that's how warm they are; and they're opening the front door at every stop.  Ahhh.  I pretended to cry getting off one bus "Don't make me go out in the cold!" (we were alone on the bus), and the driver chuckled. 

I had considered going to Starbucks, but missing that bus had set me back almost an hour.  It was already dark and gloomy, I did not want to be out at night in the cold.  So, I went home. 

All day, I debated.  I had hoped Ron would be awake by 5 PM (he is still alive, by the snoring).  He was not.  I checked online, and he had not made any trips.  Two minutes to 5. 

Was it enabling to make the trips for tomorrow?  Something normally a Ron item?  I still don't know.  I managed to get a ride to work before the system closed down.  He will have to beg a ride home. 

I don't know what will happen when he wakes up.  The fact that he had a blackout and lost almost a whole day.  The fact that the drinking affected work, again.  Hopefully he will read the AA thing and have a lightbulb.