MLK-wannabe

When I get on the bus I am usually the first or second person on the bus, and it is usually very quiet. One particular morning about a week ago there were already 4 people on the bus and two of them were having a lively conversation. Way too lively for 6 o'clock in the morning. A well intended woman was trying to convince a young man (26 he later revealed) that he needed to stop drinking, or at least cut down. He was insistent that he would never do such a thing because he really liked to drink. He also was convinced that he always controlled himself and didn't get drunk (even though he just got out of jail for drunk driving).

Finally the man admitted that the woman was right. I was hoping things would quiet down, but I wass sadly mistaken. By the time this first point was settled there was a bit of an audience on the bus, and several of them older church ladies. So this man now decides to announce that he is the next Martin Luther King Jr. and says that he writes speeches and has a non-profit organization that you can view from his myspace account. He says he has one speech with him, but it is not finished so he can't share it. "Thank goodness!" I think to myself. But one of the ladies had to go and ruin it by showing the slightest bit of interest. So he begins to read.

The speech is something that I might expect to hear as a sermon in a fundamentalist church. At first I don't have a problem with it. Mainly vocalizing disgust about injustice to poor regarding health care and the education of children and wondering how long are we going to let this go on without doing anything about it. (Those things I agree with). But then he adds how long are we going to let there be man joined with man and woman with woman? And because of this homosexuality in the nation we are doomed.

This is where I close my ears. If he thinks he's the next Martin Luther King Jr., then he hasn't done his research. MLK Jr. and his wife were big advocates for equal rights, not just of black people, but of GLBTs as well. I voice this to the person next to me who is also a regular rider that I'm pretty sure is just as ready for this guy to shut up as I am.

The speech stops after quoting half the scripture from Matthew where Jesus talks about: "I was hungry and you didn't feed me. I was thirsty and you didn't give me a drink. I was naked and you didn't clothe me.... Whatever you have not done for the least of these, you have not done for me." The old church ladies applaud his lousy half-written speech. I just sit and think that because of his prejudice against GLBTs, he will find himself in the crowd who did not tend to the flock. For the gays and homosexuals that he preaches against belong to God just as much as anyone else.

The MLK-wannabe then tries to promote his not-for-profit organization that is on his myspace account. And thankfully no one seems interested. So I'm hoping his steam has run out, when he starts talking about marriage.

The MLK-wannabe starts in on how amazed he is that his parents have been married for 31 years. A lady ("Mrs. Car") who got on the bus just as he was finishing his speech said, "I bet you don't even have a wife. You probably couldn't keep a woman."

"I have a wife, thank you very much," says the Wannabe.

"How long have you been with her?" asks Mrs. Car

"We're not together any more."

"My point exactly!"

"Hey it's not my fault, she cheated on me."

One of the church ladies chimes in, "What did you do to make her cheat on you? Now that's the question!"

"It was probably all the drinking and getting put in jail for it!" says the other church lady.

"What about all the forgiveness you were just preaching about. Why haven't you forgiven her and stayed with her?" says Car.

"I have forgiven her."

"Then why aren't you still with her?"

"Because it just wouldn't work. I'd get so mad just thinking about it that I'd probably strangle her in her sleep." MLK-wannabe states.

"And you call that forgiveness?"

Now all the church ladies are reaming him out! It's awesome! He's trying to turn the heat back on them, but he can't. So he twists the story and changes it, but they call him on it. He and Mrs. Car are still going at it strong when the bus gets to the transfer stop in the middle of the route. I am so ready to get off. It's been entertaining, but I've had enough by now. Unfortunately they both get off to transfer buses too, and they continue their conversation for a few minutes.

There was a lady about my age waiting for a bus. We recognized each other from having been on the same bus at least once before. She asks what's up with Car and the Wannabe, so I give her a brief rundown. Shortly after, Car and Wannabe stop their conversation. I warn the lady I'm talking to not to entertain conversation with him as he starts to walk our direction.

"Can I interview you ladies about who you want to vote for?" Wannabe asks as he pulls his recorder out.

"No!" I say.
"Why not?" he wants to know.
"Because I heard you on that bus and I'm not going to let you interview me about anything."
"Come on! What'd I say wrong?"
"It's not about what you said or didn't say. You are argumentative and I'm not going to let you try to get me to say something that you are going to try to argue about."

So he asks the lady next to me, "Who are you going to vote for?"
"Obama," she says quietly, hoping the questions don't get in-depth and long.
Well, he apparently liked her answer because rather than interviewing her and asking her questions he went on and on about how Obama is Martin Luther King (it was only 30 minutes before that had said he was the next MLK) and John F. Kennedy in one. He also was talking about how Obama is the answer to all of Americas problems. So it wasn't really an interview, it was him rambling on about which candidate he liked. It made me feel like he was trying to get me to say that I was going to vote for McCain so he could interrogate me and prove (according to his standards of proving) that Obama was the savior and I must vote for him.

When he finally decided that he was done and went away I was glad to be done listening to him! My bus got there and I told my driver, "Quick, close the door before the MLK -wannabe can get on!" Luckily he wasn't riding my same bus. I was very releaved.

Hospital Man

A couple weeks ago I got on the Metro bus to go to work. A man sitting across from me looked like he had just run away from the hospital that is about a mile or two before my stop. He had a black trash bag that looked like he put his clothes in it, and he was still wearing the hospital gown they give you to wear when you check in. The man requested a stop near the Salvation Army. When he stood up to get off the bus, everyone still on the bus got a full moon when his hospital gown parted. Most of us looked away when he did not try to close the open gown.

I told my mom, who is a nurse, about the situation. She said I should have called 911 and tell them where the guy was and where, approximately, he was going. I guess I will know what to do if it ever happens again.