Making Friends on the CTA

I had to take a CTA bus to meet up with my Thanksgiving ride on Wednesday of last week. I met some really nice and outgoing people on the bus.

As you know from this blog, I love to eavesdrop in public places. The public conversation on the bus was a good one. I was sitting near the back of the bus and kind of listening to these two guys talking about the high corruption at the Salvation Army. Apparently, they just spent a bunch of money buying mansions for their executives in the suburbs. According to the bus passenger, the execs, and even the employee of the month, drive extremely fancy cars like Hummers, Bentleys, etc. Haven't you seen all those fancy cars in the parking lots? Etc. This guy really had a flair for the dramatic and it was great!

During this conversation, I was sitting in my bus seat, and there was a handsome young guy at the bus door, well-dressed and well-coiffed, who was apprently giving me the eye. When he got off the bus, Mr. Salvation Army was going on and on about how the guy was oogling me and how he should have just said 'hi' instead of staring and how I probably thought he was a sexual predator since he was staring so much but how he might of had a chance if he just said 'hi', etc. etc. He got so extreme with the conversation until I finally had to turn around and acknowledge the discussion.

"Yeah," I said, "he was a cutie. He should have said hi."

This illicited laughter and an enthusiastic, "See! She said he was a cutie! He could have had a chance! Guys don't know how to say 'hi' anymore. Times have changed where sometimes the woman can speak first but some guys don't like it and think the woman is fast, etc. etc."

Another guy on the bus who was sitting with his girlfriend said, "Well, she hollared at me first," and gave his girlfriend a big kiss on the lips.

The conversation went on from there, and Mr. SA and his friends were teasing me about my big suitcase for my short trip and all kinds of other stuff. But it was a friendly and fun exchange that started a great holiday weekend.