Sometimes when you travel, you meet those who’ve been on the
road for a lot longer than you have. My 60 years old bus driver friend is one
of those. He has been on the road for 40 years; and I’m not just talking about operating
on the famous 240 route between 15th Street, and Vancouver.
Originally, he wanted to go to Sweden after finishing high
school. He had done all his research, had gone to the embassy, and was ready
for the big move. He had always loved this country. Still does, to this date,
but plans changed when his older brother moved to Montreal to go to law school.
His family decided that brothers should study in the same country and the same
city, so they sent him to the land of Eskimos.
He came to Canada to
study engineering 40 years ago, and finished his master in Montreal. He got a
job in a German company in Iran right after the revolution, but it was right
when the executions started, and he had to endure the pain of seeing his
friends being imprisoned and executed for no logical reason! That’s why he came
back to Montreal and decided to make this country home……
Few years later he lost his wife in a car accident. That was
about 24 years ago. They didn’t have any kids at the time, and he never got
married again!
He worked in different companies all through his life, got laid
off several times, lost his home due to recession, hit the bottom line, and
stood up again! Wow! The power of human being’s determination! His high school friends
are all gone. His brothers and sisters are way too busy dealing with kids, grandkids,
son, and daughter in laws whom he had never had a chance to really get to know.
Beside the child he has adopted, he doesn’t really have anyone to call family! But
none of these keeps him from welcoming you with a smile every time you get on
the 240 bus…..
Today, we were talking about life; the blessing of
witnessing generations going through life. He was telling me how those who used
to get on his bus to go to school, these days come on board with a stroller, or
those who used to be on the stroller, not so long ago, are in middle school,
and junior high.
“It’s like your story!” he said. “Life is strange! One day
you said you were gonna go away for a while, and now you’re back, standing here
on my bus, like you were never gone!”
He stopped the bus, exactly where I used to get off, and
said: “See! I remember people and their stories! I think this is going to be my
last route in this life…..”
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