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Anna Runkle's avatar

Beautiful. I will admit I think you are doing holy work, and appreciate the gift of your essays, where your love of fellow humans is strong and contagious.

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Toni Jeffrey's avatar

Chris, I greatly enjoyed reading this! As I commented recently, I also spent a lot of time on Greyhound buses Back In The Day, so this really took me back.

I agree that meeting random people I would otherwise not encounter was an alternatively special and surreal experience. Because I spent so much time on the road, I developed intermittent friendships with people I would visit when I strolled into a city (hi Darryl in Chicago).

Amusingly, though, I most remember my comments to those who irritated me. I was a twentysomething White girl who attracted men who were sure I needed-needed-needed their ostensible Prince Charming qualities to ensure I didn't die. Favorite exchanges:

Cleveland Greyhound, 3 AM: "Stop staring at me! You're really pissing me off!"

New York City Greyhound, midnight. Two men sat next to me with a huge stash of cash; they had obviously just robbed a store and were making their escape. He: "Are you afraid to sit next to us?" Me: "No, I am too broke for you to risk robbing me, especially with the witnesses and everything."

Pittsburgh Greyhound, en route at around 10 PM. Me: "Why don't you go back to your own planet?" He: "Well, maybe I don't WANT to!"

Please tell me Greyhound station restaurants no longer serve powdered eggs. It took about three months to swear I would never eat them again.

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