Dear Bus 42

Dear Bus 42,

I didn't want to have to break the news to you in such a public fashion, but it's time the world knew. It's over between us. You've disappointed me too many times for me to fall for your tricks again.

When I first heard about you, I thought you were too good to be true. Could there really be a bus that stopped two blocks away from my house and went straight to Hebrew University with only 10 stops in between? I was delighted that my commute would bypass all the downtown traffic and would only take 25 minutes each day! And the best part of all was that I had to share you with so few people. I got my own seat and even my own row most days. None of this crammed-like-cattle-falling-on-other-passengers nonsense like I get on the other busses. Nope. You were special.

I should have been suspicious when I found out that you only run once an hour and the first bus doesn't come until 8:19. I rationalized that I could cut it that close because you were so fast and convenient. But I wasn't happy when you were 20 minutes late the first morning. I waited at the bus stop in the heat for 30 minutes because I didn't want to be late. I finally moved off the bench and stood in the only shade nearby--the shade from the pole of the bus stop sign. However, when you finally came, you were all smiles and I decided that I could be forgiving. Maybe you got caught in traffic. Maybe there was a bad accident. The quick trip to the university made it almost worth the wait, and I was only 10 minutes late for class.

The next day I was ready. I stood in the shade of the bus stop sign and waited and waited. And waited. 45 minutes had passed before I finally had the sense to check and see if you even worked on Fridays. Thank you, free wireless at the bus stop. And guess what? I'm still wondering why you are one of the only busses in the city that doesn't even run on Fridays.

I was patient. I walked to another bus stop and took bus 19 to class. It was crowded, traffic was bad, and I was 45 minutes late for class.

But I was ready on Sunday. I checked the bus schedule ahead of time and yep, sure enough, it said Bus 42 would be running according to schedule. And I trusted you. You had let me down twice, but I was forgiving. I thought that this relationship was really meant to be.

Guess what Sunday found me doing? Waiting in the 4-inch-wide shade of the bus stop sign. And waiting. And waiting. I wasn't the only one you fooled with your tricks, though. Two other guys were waiting with me in the heat. And I was standing in the only shade nearby. And by the time I left, after waiting for 40 minutes, one of the guys left with me and offered to let me share a taxi with him to get to the university on time. I graciously refused, since I obviously don't have qualms with getting to class late and I didn't want to fork over that much for a taxi. He was disappointed, obviously, since that meant he had to pay the whole fare himself, but I was more disappointed in you, Bus 42. This was the last straw.

I've moved on to other things after putting up with your tricks for too long. Although Bus 19 didn't initially appear as attractive as you, it's a lot more reliable. It starts running at 6:30 in the morning, it comes every 10-15 minutes, and guess what? The bus stop for Bus 19 is in the shade. It's all in the shade.

So, dear Bus 42, I've learned my lesson. Thanks for teaching me about broken promises and bitter end to relationships. You can be late for others, but I'm sticking with Bus 19 now, even though it takes sometimes twice as long and I do kind of feel like cattle when I ride it with all those other passengers.

But your twin brother, Bus 42 that runs from the university to my home, and I are still going strong. He's a lot more reliable than you and gets me home every night.

Your loss, Bus 42.