On The Bus

My mother had a good friend in Erin, Ontario. She didn’t know how to drive. Even if she did, she didn’t have a car. She had to go there by bus, and being too young to stay at home alone, I had to tag along.

Emily, her friend, was married to a Scotsman named Al. He was an elderly gentleman who was a baker. I remember how tasty his loaves tasted.

The other thing I remember about Al is that he was deaf. He used to shout in my ear, thinking I couldn’t hear him.

Since there were no kids there, I was pretty bored, but I had learned to be quiet and just sit there.

Unlike today, people were allowed to smoke anywhere in those days, including on a bus.

On the way home, there were quite a few smokers on the bus. In fact, they were all around us. After awhile, I started to feel sick. My mother asked a few of them if they could refrain from smoking because it was making me sick. They ignored her.

My mother’s reaction was to open the window really wide. I mean really wide. Did I mention that it was in the middle of winter? A cold blast of wind cut through the interior of the bus like a knife. It slapped people in the face, bringing about an immediate reaction.

“Hey, lady, shut the window.”

My mother calmly explained that I was feeling sick from the cigarette smoke and that she would gladly shut the window if people stopped smoking.

The smokers puffed on, probably needing the burning cigarettes to keep warm. My mother just sat there, even though the protests grew louder. One man got up and shut the window. My mother opened it again.

People kept protesting. She asked who would clean up the mess if I vomited. This went on for some time. Finally, one by one, the smokers butted out. For each one, she closed the window a bit more until the last cigarette was extinguished. Then it was closed.

My mother taught me a lot that day. She taught me that you may have to stand up against everybody for something you believe in, but if you really believe in it, you must do it. You may feel uncomfortable. Still, if you mustn’t back down if it is important to you, no matter what. She wasn’t rude. She didn’t get angry. She just stated her case and made sure her rights were respected.