Commuting on the Bus

I do love taking a bus in the morning. I leave for work before most have stirred in their beds. I usually arrive at 6.30am at the bus stop on Lexington Avenue and 79th street. This morning the weather was most frigid. The temperature barely crossed into positive territory. The leisurely stroll to the bus stop turned into a brisk walk, and I had visibility issues caused by the misty breath pouring out of my mouth that rose to eye level before dispersing into the tundra style air. My teeth even froze. That was definitely a new sensation.

There are normally 14 other fellow early risers who wait at the bus stop each morning, and after a few months of seeing the same faces, we now all nod to each other. Conversation is clearly taboo as that would suggest behavior that crosses any acceptable threshold.

This morning I was the sole nodder. Where had everyone gone? Had the bus that like clockwork arrives at 6.32 and 24 seconds come early, speeding up because of the cold weather? Could I possibly have been late this morning? I am a man of strict routine. I am a groundhog day follower to a tee. It couldn't be me. At 6.32 and 26 seconds the M101 Limited stop bus arrived, slightly late and I duly got on. I knew it wasn't me.

I am now worried. I sit at my desk thinking that the 14 other regular nodders have all died of hypothermia in their apartments. My mornings would never be the same. I am now the sole survivor of the great global freezing of 2011 ( 79th and Lexington bus stop massacre). I am troubled by this deeply and discussed it with my colleague who sits directly to my left at work. He saw that this had a profound affect on me and came up with an alternative version. Could the " fourteen freezing folk" have taken the subway?