The Bus Ride

Sweet God in Heaven that sucked.
The last time I took a ride on the greyhound I was headed from Sioux City, Iowa to Seattle, Washington. I had this big plan post college to bike from Iowa to Washington. I got across Iowa before being crushed by the lonesomeness. I rode up to the bus station in Sioux City packed my bike into a box and boarded the bus at midnight northbound to Winnipeg. Transferring in Fargo for the west bound bus to Seattle was perhaps where the company lost my bike. So that trip was sort of shitty. But not as shitty as this one!
Maybe it was the time of year or the part of the country or the economy but during the entire 40 hours of that northwesterly ride I had an open seat next to me and so the bus was not so bad. This ride, 34 hours from SanBerdoo to Tulsa I only had a seat open next to me for three and a half hours from Indio to Phoenix. That was no fun. No fun at all.
There was a woman behind me, a young woman, who sobbed uncontrollably for the first third of the trip. Her "boyfriend" much older, very crazy looking, he walked with a cane, was not helpful. At midnight in Flagstaff I think he tried to run away from her. but they boarded the bus just in time to head towards Albuquerque.

Finally the bus arrived in Tulsa. I called the motel and they sent the shuttle driver. A young guy who seemed like a really stoned Terence Howard told me he liked Tulsa enough, especially the riverwalk down towards Jenks.
I checked into the hotel and went upstairs and ordered a pizza. I was, you can understand exhausted.
The pizza arrived, I ate it, The phone rang.
"Hi" the man said in a thick southern accent. "This is Mike from Melton. Just wanted to check in with you and see how things are going before orientation tomorrow."
I told him things were fine.
"Well that's great, I just wanted to call to ask you to leave your cell phone in the motel or turn it off before you come to class tomorrow. We had some problems last week with people interrupting class."
Sure, I said.
"and one other thing. We're missing some info about emergency contacts from your file. could you give that to me now."
Yeah, I said, and gave him the info for my parents in Maryland.
"Great, see you tomorrow morning, don't forget to leave that cell phone at the motel tomorrow."
Yeah ok, I said, very tired. It was quarter of ten, that seemed oddly late for such a phone call.