Now, when I say the Aggie Spirit, I’m not talking about the roar of the crowd at a football game or the desire you have to say “Howdy!” to every person you see on campus. No, I’m talking about the bus system. A&M’s buses rock. Like, seriously, I love the fact that I don’t have to literally go into battle each day to find a parking spot on campus. But, riding the bus comes with its ups and downs and sometimes, I find these thoughts running through my head.
“Will this driver make me show my ID?”
We’ve all been there. You’re running to make it on the bus before it leaves and you’re not prepared with your student ID. Does the driver not see your sorority shirt? Does the “no makeup/I just got two hours of sleep last night” look not make you look enough like a college student? Before you know it, you’re frantically searching your backpack for your ID while everyone on the bus is giving you death stares because you’re holding them up. You finally find it and scurry to your seat only to have this next thought enter your mind.
“Will my coffee make it?”
You passed the ID checkpoint, but now you’re precariously balancing your Tervis full of coffee on your knee while getting situated in your seat. Suddenly, a pothole in the road comes out of nowhere and before you know it, you’re wearing hazelnut coffee as your perfume for the day. You’re screaming in pain inside your head because of the third degree burns you just got, but outside of your mind, you’re trying to play it off and act as calm as possible. You finally get that mess cleaned up when the bus comes to an abrupt stop and more passengers get on.
“Will someone sit next to me?”
At this point, the bus is relatively empty. You reluctantly put your backpack in your lap but secretly hope that no one will take that empty seat next to you. A few people stumble on the bus and just your luck, in a sea of empty seats, the one next to you is chosen by one of the new passengers. You now have to endure the awkward only-stare-straight-ahead bus ride until you reach your destination. When you get to campus, you hop off and have a great (!) day at class. Now it’s time for the ride home and you’re feeling confident. Walking back to the bus stop, you encounter another problem.
“Will the bus leave without me?”
You are still a good way away, but the bus of your dreams is in eye sight. You speed up your pace and start dodging bikers and skateboarders like you’re in a human game of Mario Kart. Then, the worst imaginable thing happens. The bus closes its doors and you’re forced to begin a full-fledged sprint with your 80-pound backpack weighing you down to chase the departing bus. It starts to pull away when you’re in the last leg of your race to make it and you’re now yelling at the bus to stop. Apparently the driver is not concerned with your antics though because the bus is now gone and you’re forced to wait for the next one. Another one comes, (Woo for lots of busses!) and you make it on. You’re now en-route to your humble abode and you pass the first stop, then the second, and then it’s your turn. You’re almost there when you and the girl sitting next to you make eye contact. Then, your reflexes are put to the test and you start to wonder...
“Will I be the first to press the stop requested strip?”
You tried really hard, but you came up a little short. She presses the strip a split-second before you and then you’re just left pressing a yellow strip that unfortunately, will not emit a satisfying ding when your stop has been requested. You stumble off the bus, thank the driver, and make the trek to your house. You breathe a sigh of relief because, you’ve made it. Well, until tomorrow that is.
