Catching the Bus1
While attending college I would find myself seated in the cafeteria taking a break, studying, or grabbing a snack of some kind. There were quite a few other students who followed this ritual. We’d find ourselves getting to know each other because of limited seating.
I was studying one day, with a bean burrito stretched out before me, when a woman approached my table. She asked if she could join me. I smiled and motioned for her to take one of the empty chairs. As she sat down, I started eating my burrito and she spread her food out in front of her. A friendly conversation followed for the remainder of my meal. As I got up to leave for my next class, I told her how much I’d enjoyed our visit. She agreed she thought our meeting had been enjoyable as well and we parted company.
As it sometimes happens in life, we started eating our meals together whenever both of us were in the cafeteria. It wasn’t because there weren’t enough tables or chairs available; we just enjoyed each other’s company taking advantage of the opportunity when it presented itself. Gradually we got to know each other. We were both careful at first as to the subject matter we discussed, but with time we both began to expand the subject matter we wanted to share. And so our time together we got to the point where we were discussing death and how I had observed that some people seem to know when they were going to die. She dropped her piece of fruit that had almost entered her mouth, looked as if she was accessing whether she should say something and finally seemed to decide; she started telling me her story.
She had been working in a care facility for older people. There were deaths that, quite naturally, happened because of the age of the residents. They wouldn’t walk around and say a resident died as there was concern another resident might hear them and get upset. Instead of saying the person died they would say the person caught the bus, when they had passed away, if they were among other residents or visitors.
One morning she went into a room to visit a woman who had been bed ridden for at least two months. The woman was talking with her and she suddenly said, out of the blue, she wanted to catch the bus but there were two people who were ahead of her. She looked at my friend and once again said she was ready, but she had to wait for them first.
My friend was shocked at this point in the conversation. The residents didn’t know about the phrase catching the bus. Not only that but what was she talking about there were two people ahead of her? She thought the woman was rambling, as people do when they are ill. At the same time she was talking about catching the bus; a phrase she shouldn’t have known. While using the phrase, catching the bus, could have a possible explanation, why would she say there were two people ahead of her? She’d been bed ridden for two months and had no idea what condition any of the other residents were in at that time. She finished her conversation and walked out of the room wondering what the resident was really talking about, but she didn’t have long to wait.
That afternoon two residents in the facility passed away that afternoon. About a half an hour later, the woman who had been bedridden for two months, passed away. There was no way this woman could have or would have known when those two people passed away. She was bedridden with no one else in her room; yet a half hour after the second one died; she died as well.
My friend had a puzzled look on her face as she ended her story. She had never been able to understand how the woman knew what was going to happen, yet she did. We looked at each other, both of us wondering if there was a schedule when people pass away. It would appear, even if you think you are ready, it won’t happen until the time is right. We’ll never know, but I’ll always remember the woman who had to wait for two other people before she could pass out of this world by catching the bus.
But this wasn’t the first time a conversation or event happened that caused confusion in my mind. This was one of many things happening to me. It made me realize there is so much more in this life than we are aware of or recognize. There are so many possibilities out there just waiting to open you up. I wish you a safe journey if you become one of those travelers.
