Status: Active
Stream of Consciousness
03/11/14
As I am sitting on the bus with my phone in my hand and music blasting in my ears, I notice a certain woman. She sits alone on the bus and people stare at her as they walk on. Compared to some of the other women on the bus this one is rather round, short, old, and she has on headphones. I don’t mean to stare at her, but she is rather intriguing.
Everyone is used to silent adults on the bus but this lady is the exception. Her foot taps against the metal floor loudly, sending echoes from where she is in the front to where I am in the back. I have to randomly pause my music because I keep thinking the bus driver is talking to the passengers. Each time, though, it’s the woman singing. Her voice is off key most of the time but she has a smile on her face. People glare at her, and a man even tells her to pipe it down. She keeps doing what makes her happy.
She continued to sing and tap her foot as more people walk onto the bus the closer we get to the blue line. By now many passengers are telling to be quite but instead, she shushes them. The bus driver doesn’t interfere since she isn’t allowed to. This causes some passengers to complain even more and the woman to just get louder.
At the blue line she waves to all the people getting off. I see her stick her tongue out at the man who told her to pipe it down. Another man mutters that women know their place in public. To my astonishment (and I’m sure the astonishment of everyone else on the bus), the woman flips him off and laughs. I am reminded of an author I read for my English class and other women activists. They would’ve been so proud of her!
The woman stops singing and begins to bob her head up and down. What can she possibly be listening to? I am bobbing my head up and down to my music as well but this woman seems to certainly be too old for Bring Me the Horizon and Of Mice & Men. Nevertheless, she bobs her head vigorously as if she is a teenager at a rock concert. For all I know, maybe she is imagining herself at the Beatles’ first performance on the Ed Sullivan show. My dad always told me they were considered heavy music back then.
As is she wants to make more noise, she pats her hands against her thighs as if they are drums. Her thighs do jiggle, but it’s a natural thing for all humans. Still, a woman was disgusted by it and told her she isn’t being ladylike. The woman cares less, or so it seems. She continues, making the other lady huff.
The woman I am observing pulls the signal about ten stops before mine. As she walks off the bus, she turns to the woman and man who had both scolded her earlier before. She says to them:
“I don’t care that I am a woman. If men can do what they want, then so can I.”
And with that, she’s off the bus and I can still hear her off key singing lingering as the doors close and we drive away.
Everyone is used to silent adults on the bus but this lady is the exception. Her foot taps against the metal floor loudly, sending echoes from where she is in the front to where I am in the back. I have to randomly pause my music because I keep thinking the bus driver is talking to the passengers. Each time, though, it’s the woman singing. Her voice is off key most of the time but she has a smile on her face. People glare at her, and a man even tells her to pipe it down. She keeps doing what makes her happy.
She continued to sing and tap her foot as more people walk onto the bus the closer we get to the blue line. By now many passengers are telling to be quite but instead, she shushes them. The bus driver doesn’t interfere since she isn’t allowed to. This causes some passengers to complain even more and the woman to just get louder.
At the blue line she waves to all the people getting off. I see her stick her tongue out at the man who told her to pipe it down. Another man mutters that women know their place in public. To my astonishment (and I’m sure the astonishment of everyone else on the bus), the woman flips him off and laughs. I am reminded of an author I read for my English class and other women activists. They would’ve been so proud of her!
The woman stops singing and begins to bob her head up and down. What can she possibly be listening to? I am bobbing my head up and down to my music as well but this woman seems to certainly be too old for Bring Me the Horizon and Of Mice & Men. Nevertheless, she bobs her head vigorously as if she is a teenager at a rock concert. For all I know, maybe she is imagining herself at the Beatles’ first performance on the Ed Sullivan show. My dad always told me they were considered heavy music back then.
As is she wants to make more noise, she pats her hands against her thighs as if they are drums. Her thighs do jiggle, but it’s a natural thing for all humans. Still, a woman was disgusted by it and told her she isn’t being ladylike. The woman cares less, or so it seems. She continues, making the other lady huff.
The woman I am observing pulls the signal about ten stops before mine. As she walks off the bus, she turns to the woman and man who had both scolded her earlier before. She says to them:
“I don’t care that I am a woman. If men can do what they want, then so can I.”
And with that, she’s off the bus and I can still hear her off key singing lingering as the doors close and we drive away.
♠ ♠ ♠
Written for school. No, this did not actually happen.