#134 A Missed Bus & New Friends
I planned to take the bus downtown on Friday afternoon because I had a Compal Hall class, but my husband was using the car. Every time I have ever taken this bus, it's been late. It was a very hot and humid (蒸し暑い)afternoon, and I didn't want to stand waiting for a long time, so I left my house a little later than I usually do.As I walked down the street towards the bus stop, I noticed an older man directing traffic. They were doing some roadwork, so he was holding a flag and directing cars. He gave me a big friendly smile and said, "Konnichiwa!" I returned the smile and the greeting.I continued down the street towards the bus stop, feeling cheered up. As I got closer I saw mybus drive by! I missed the bus!Oh no! There were no more buses that day. I turned around and started walking back. As I walked, I called a taxi. I didn't want to walk all the way home, so I asked the taxi to meet me atthe next corner.That was where the friendly man directing traffic was working. He saw me come back, and I told him, "I missed my bus!" The street was empty, so he was free. He asked me where I was from, and we talked about Texas and Oita, and the difference of the heat in Texas and Oita. We had a very animatedconversation.When the taxi came, I waved at him and said, "Bye! Ittekimasu!" He said, "Bye! Itterashai!"Thanks to the friendliness of a stranger, my mood had changed from disappointed and bummed out(がっかり)to cheerful and smiling.I got in the taxi, and the driver was a man with a friendly smile! I told him my story about missing the bus, and we began talking nonstop. It was another very animated and fun conversation. He told me about his high school-aged son who suffered from heat stroke (熱中症) recently. We exchanged our experiences of catching Covid last summer. Then he told me that his son goes to the high school that I worked at when I first came to Oita in 1988. I told him that I used to work there. He told me that HE also went to that high school. He started at the high school the year after I was moved to a different school to work, so we just missed each other (入れ違い）. He remembered the teacher who was my first supervisor!When we got to Compal Hall, the taxi fare was 1600 yen! I told him, "Oh! That's so expensive! I was only planning to spend 220 yen on the bus!" He laughed and sympathized very good-naturedly (愛想よく?）. I told him, "Bye!" and I waved as he drove off. I felt like we had become friends. I felt even more cheerful, even though I had missed my bus and had to spend 1600 yen unexpectedly. What a fun taxi ride! What a fun converstion! What a nice and friendly taxi driver! After class finished, I walked to the bus stop on the main street. It was hot and miserable. As I was waiting, a man approached me to talk. I could tell immediately that he had some kind of mental handicap (知的障害). Maybe he had some form of autism (自閉症)? But he wanted to speak to me. It was a little hard to understand what he was saying because he was wearing a mask, but he remarked on how tall I am, and he asked me where I'm from. He asked me if I was waiting for the bus. It wasn't a very smooth conversation, but I smiled and spoke to him as if we were friends. He told me his name, and asked me my name. He had trouble making eye contact, and he had trouble speaking clearly, but after a little while he asked, "Friends?" (in English), and then, "Tomodachi?" I said, "Yes! Friends!"My bus came, and I told him, "Bye!"On the bus I marveled at the wonderful conversations I had with new "friends". They were allpeople who I won't likely see again, but I don't think thatdetracts (減じる, 減殺する) from the value of our paths crossing(meeting unexpectedly, meeting by chance).These 3 new "friends" changed a bad day into a good day. A friendly word ora friendly smile can change someone's day!Has your day ever been changed by making a new "friend"
