I boarded the iExpress across from the Grand River Hospital. It was a brilliantly sunny day, blue and white and yellow, snow falling through sunshine. I felt cold, but knew I'd soon warm up. The iExpress stops every 20 or so stops, making it a much faster way to get anywhere along the mainstreet. I sat next to a pretty girl watching television on her phone. The bus chugged along, stopping here and there.
"Laurier" called out the automated voice, and the driver pulled into the stop at Bridgeport and King. It seemed awfully far from Laurier University; nearly 10 blocks early. The doors opened and a voice piped up from outside, "Is this the 7D?" It was not, at all, the 7D (which normally stops at King and Bridgeport), and this was not, it appeared, the "Laurier" stop. This became instantly clear as the bus driver yelled out, "Shit!" and stuck her palm out towards the door, barring entry to the confused travellers. The doors were shut quickly, and the bus sped off. I laughed out loud. Everyone else continued to remain engrossed in their phones or internal musings.
After a few more stops we arrived at the University, where hundreds of Asian young men in black coats with thick glass and stylish girlfriends were eager to get on and off the bus. I took a deep breath and headed directly for the Museum, located in the earth sciences building. I had cleared a path through my anxious mind with an intinerary - walk through the museum, making moderately timed note of the dinosaur bones, rocks and murals; come out through the mock coal mine into the Biology buildings; penetrate through them to the new Nanoquamtumsomething building; explore this building; make my way to South Campus Hall; purchase a sweater; and then walk home cross country (or take a bus if it was convenient). My mind made many anxious objections to this itinerary, presenting many possible disasters, but I soldiered on.
My first brush with the elements took place as I transitioned from the warm, sunlit road from the bus to the shaded, windy corridor under the Davis Centre walkabove. Suddenly the day went from warm and adventurous to shipwreck in the artic, and the dogs have all been eaten. I began to question the wisdom of my plan to walk home, which caused me to question the wisom of my plan to walk at all, and on to questioning the wisdom of the entire venture. Like any good explorer, I set my shoulders and marched on. Once inside the Museum, life turned again towards the warm and hospitable; lovely memories of coming into the building to cool off and admire ancient artifacts during summer bike rides, or to warm up reading Young Adult novels over the grating or in the bathroom during crisp winter walks (when my walking skills were considerably more developed). Entering the museum was like going back in time, a time of confidence and relaxation and dreaminess - not quite enough to cause me to forget my mission, but enough to make it much easier. I toured the exhibits, took some photographs for L., thought about sending them, didn't send them, turned my phone on, turned it off to save battery, and repeated that process about three times. By this point I found myself entering the mock coal mine, where I continued to deliberate about taking pictures. Decided against (phone on, phone off) and I was in the main Biology building. The doors on the coal mine side were painted to look old and distressed, to match the rocky walls, and on the other side, it was like being in high school in the 50s, with old drinking fountins, a clock with a goalie mask, and golden wooden doors. It had far more the quality of a museum than the actual museum I had just left.
My internal map of the evolving structural geography of the University being not well developed, I had thought maybe there was an indoor passage from this building to the Nanoquantumsomething, but discovered that outdoors would be the fastest route. At least it was sunny again. Nanoquantom loomed over the geological specimen garden like an alien ship that tried to land in a field but got caught in a city. It's geometric facade reflected daylight while keeping secrets. I tried the door and it was locked.
I circled the building, and began to wonder whether the trip to South Campus Hall might be useless - maybe everything was closed. I stopped a guy and asked. He said he didn't know, but that Timmy's was closed, and I concurred that if Timmy's was closed, than it was extremely unlikely that anything else on earth was open. Feeling cleared of duty (having accomplished as much as I'd been able to) I experienced a wave of relief and felt a feeling that was almost relaxation in comparison the trek that had lead up to this moment - I would go back to the Museum and just spend time there.
Back at the museum I continued to wander around, turn my phone on to take pictures to send to L, decide not to, and turn my phone off. I spent a great deal of time staring at mammoth and saber tooth tiger bones, and reading about core samples of University earth. Finally I took a picture of a mural which I was later to send to L, after turning my phone on and off several times. I happened on a clock and realized the next iExpress was leaving in five minutes. It was five, thirty, or walk. I decided to bus it. My adventure has been short, but not rushed. I felt satisfied with it, and thought it would be good to take the bus back, since walking was generally more familiar and less of challenge, and also more cold and thus a less desirable challenge.
Back at the bus stop surrouned by Asian men with thick glasses, black coats and stylish girlfriends, I waited patiently, continuing to be amazed as I have been, having recently taken up bussing again for my challenges, at people's willingness and patience to wait for a bus. Finally it arrived and we literally piled on - the crowd gathering like a wave that spilled into the warm interior. I managed to find a seat, and spent the next ten minutes trying to avoid a stylish Asian girlfriend's stylish bag hit my knees, while concurrently trying not to stare at her and her boyfriend, as they quite confidently and obliviously stared directly into each other eyes from a distance of 10 centimeteres, changing position generally only when the bus knocked them forward or backward. Finally my seatmate got off and I retreated towards the window, safe from the bag though not from the intimate view. All three of us deboarded at Uptown Waterloo. I went to eat pizza, have my eyebrows waxed, and get groceries. An hour later we were somehow all back on the same bus, continuing south, me with ridiculously awkward groceries and they with their love. I managed to deboard without sexually assaulting my fellow passengers with my grocery bags, while the couple moved on to another adventure in their day of romance. Hoisting my groceries up, tucking my toilet paper rolls under my arm, I headed for home.
No comments:
Post a Comment