Friendly encounters are more than enough

    I forgot to ask for the driver’s name.

    The guy was driving the 190 along Sheppard last night, going back and forth from Fairview Mall to the Scarborough Town Centre. I was on the bus around 8:30, on my way to visit a friend, another friend, and possibly a third … in less than two hours. There were maybe, I don’t know, two other people sitting in the back, and this bus driver.

    I was writing a story on potholes at the time (because, with the weather Toronto’s been having, everyone’s lives were getting increasingly bumpy). Maybe that’s why I talked to him. I think I might have been looking for a good quote to use or something, so I have basically no idea why I asked him how his shift was going.

    He told me that things were moving well, and that he still had a while to go. On an off-chance, he asked what I was coming back from; I fumbled through a hasty explanation of my destination, and made a mental note: Get better at answering question, and it’ll benefit you while asking.

    I don’t mean to play it up to something it’s not. We taked for all of three minutes, and then I left for the 38 Highland. I only say this because, in the midst of a tiring and stressful job, this guy was very friendly - unexpectedly friendly. Maybe I didn’t expect it - Toronto can get awfully bogged down in self-centred busy-ness - but it struck a chord with me: we typically stumble upon negative encounters with strangers. Knowing that, and at this point, not even remotely on the topic of potholes, I wish I could put his name down.

    We seldom glorify people for simple things, like carrying a friendly conversation in a bus. Next time, I’ll get his name for you.