Now and then, no matter how much you like this job there are some passengers you would just as soon didn't get on the bus. I had a some like that get on in Fleet Walk yesterday. I know what you are thinking, some one the worse for drink, staggering all over the place with sick dribbling down their shirts and no idea where they wanted to go. No, have an other guess. A gang of football hooligans shouting obscenities about the owner of the local football club. Sorry, next guess. 15 hoodies, all claiming to be under 5 and didn't have to pay. Good try but no where near.
They were two dear sweet little old ladies. And I mean little and I mean old; weighting about 4 stone each and well in to their nineties. Ah I hear you say. What have I got against dear sweet little old ladies? Well nothing in fact. It was where they wanted to go. The Willows, the out of town shopping complex.
What's wrong with that. Apart from the fact that to call it a complex is a gross miss use of the English Language. Mark & Sparks, Comet, A furniture store and a supermarket do not make a shopping complex. Even if you include the petrol station. It's so unnoticeable that I just tried putting Willows Torquay in my search engine and after 10 mins looking I found a 3 line entry about the Willows on a web page about getting round in the Bay. The other problem is that it is a ten minute walk from the nearest bus stop and that is if you are young, fit, healthy and walk at 5 and a half miles per hour. If you are frail and ninety and don't know the way it is going to take a lot longer that that, especially if there is a wind coming uninpeaded all the way from Russia with the words, "WARNING. VERY COLD WIND." written in BIG letters all the way through. I did not want these two little old ladies to make this trip. I tried really hard to dissuade them not to make this trip. An other passenger also concerned, joined in. But they were determined. I couldn't refuse them. I mean their behaviour wasn't offensive and they could pay but I really didn't want to take them. I can only hope that after a few mins walking they realized how far and how cold it was and returned to the bus stop and went back to Torquay.
I have read the local paper but there is nothing about old ladies being taken to the hospital with local police chief ranting,"Who could have left these poor sweet old ladies out here in this weather. We will Find him and he will suffer. We will bring him to justice."
2 comments:
Never under-estimate the determination and power of a little old lady. Take comfort in the fact that they wouldn't still be doing stuff like that in their nineties if they weren't ornery old birds!
Thanks Sane, A few words of reassurance. I like that now and then. I was worried about them, it was so cold and a long walk.
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