The Love Bus

This weekend I opted for the ultimate escape route: a 5 hour bus ride taking me from New York to Arlington. It was sort of a spur of the moment decision [about as spontaneous as I get] prompted by news of the arrival of my new car at the Toyota dealer (woo!). After peeking out of my office on Friday afternoon and realizing that practically everyone else had left the building, I decided to make a break for it. I decided to test my agility by speed walking in flip-flops & jeans in the 95 degree weather. Drenched in sweat, I made it back to my apartment in record time- only to dump out my bag and fill it with the bare essentials [toothbrush, half-charged ipod, and a copy of my recent read- Camp Camp: Where Fantasy Island Meets Lord of the Flies].

I finally made it to the bus stop around 3:50pm, leaving just enough time for me to spend $6 on a bottle of Gatorade and Diet Coke... I was so thirsty I almost bought out the whole overpriced cart.

Finally I boarded the bus, and was lucky enough to have my very own seat! I basked in the glory of this feat for a good 5 minutes until I was introduced to my oh so friendly reclining, kissy face, PDA loving neighbors inhabiting the seats directly in front of me.

First of all, I'm not a bus person. I don't do well with the jerking motion, the curves, the smells- it makes me nauseous. But add a gushy love struck couple practically in my lap- and you might as well have put me on a row boat in the middle of a storm with 10 foot waves. Or better yet, throw me overboard.

Then enters the neighbor sitting in the seat behind me. It just so happens he is going on a first date later that night and decides to engage the help of the girls sitting behind him to pick a location. So for about an hour I have to listen to the endless ramblings of "OH you should take her to this place called, You and Me, or maybe its called, Me and You, OH or you could go to this bar on the river, but I forget the name, OH and you two could go for some late night munchies at 5 Guys, OH and one time my cousin's friend told me about this really great place, but I'd have to call her..." My favorite part was the girls parting advice, "You should definitely seal the deal, if you know what I mean."

After 5 hours of the Love Bus, I was slightly regretting my spontaneity... but later on that evening I found myself wondering, did he in fact seal the deal?