Cats and Dogs Falling on the 51

This morning at 8:35 a.m. I waited for the 51 to come. According to Nextbus.com, an often reliable website, the bus was supposed to arrive in 10 minutes—at 8:40 a.m. As I stood there at the bus stop, I nearly died.

8:35 a.m. could have been any time of day because of the Hollywood movie-set-like rain and wind. Maybe it didn't help that my umbrella is missing a spoke, because as it continued invert itself I wondered if taking the bus was the right choice.

Unfortunately, the 51 was my only choice this morning on my long journey to work.

By 8:40 a.m., the crowd at the bus stop had tripled with everyone awaiting the bus. A girl next to me yelled—"I see it I see it!" and I nodded happily.

But as we stood there in the end-of-the-world rain, we watched the 51 fly past us, full of other bus hoppers.

For a moment I was upset, but realized that this added to the feel of the morning and maybe that bus wasn't the one I really wanted.

Luckily another bus arrived 10 minutes later and I wasn't late to work. There were no real friends to meet on the 51 this early in the morning.

But as I stepped off the bus to my place of work I realized how much I depend on the bus and technology. And even if it is raining cats and dogs and baby shoes, I will go to work.