Taking the Bus

So yesterday at around 4pm I was standing on Queen waiting for a streetcar. After 15 minutes of peeking West every 30 seconds expecting to see a streetcar, one finally came. Actually, my transport ended up being a chartered bus. I think the fire at Portland had something to do with it. Maybe.

Anyways, I walked around a stale snowbank, nearly slid (my Browns leather boots just don't grip the ice), and got in line. I was in last place.

First the art students got on (one of whom explained to me that she's not a bag lady, shes just carrying bags full of who-knows-what and a plastic shovel because they're part of a project). Then the Jamaican-looking lady got on. It was down to a grandpa, a seemingly-sketchy man, and me.

Let me explain the sketchy man. He was wearing a down jacket with at least 15 holes. Feathers were sticking out. His jeans just looked malaised. His brown hair was curly like mine, but unkempt. I glanced down for half-a-second, brushed the snow off of my boots and looked at him again. With that glance I noticed he was holding a long skinny branch that was painted white. A homemade white cane. He was blind.

I was maybe 2 metres away from him. I know there are thousands of blind people in the city. Last week I talked to Randy Firth, a media guy from the CNIB. He has a guide dog and a white cane. He told me that the blind ride the TTC for free. I didn't know that.

So, the guy screams out, with an assertive radio-voice, "Can I grab someones arm to get on?". Maybe I'm just a prissy girl. But i didn't run to his side. I let the trench-coated grandpa guide the man onto the Queen East bus. I let the old man who seemed to need a cane himself lead the blind guy. Should I have helped? I don't know.

The blind man ended up having tourette's syndrome, or as he said "a sickness like tourettes". He kept on screaming FUCK YOU over and over inside of the tiny bus. He proceeded to howl like a wolf.

Imagine getting around the city like that. Having to rely on girls who don't want strangers touching their wool coats, and ttc drivers who don't understand that you're not freaking out, you're just abrupt and can't help it.