Burns night, sorry its a bit long
Have only got one slightly out of the ordinary tale involving a public bus.
( a few involving living on a travellers bus doing festivals but thats a different story)
This was probably mid 80s.
A group of us went to a Burns Night Supper at some gawd forsaken American Werewolf in London style pub in a remote moorland village.
I cant remember why or how as none of us were of Scottish descent, but may have been something to do with all the booze you could drink was included in the cover price which back then was probably about £5 tops, and one of the guys was a cousin to the landlords daughters boyfriend or something.
So we all piled into a van with a designated driver and drove the 12 miles or so to this odd little pub.
I learned 3 things.
1/Haggis is vile
2/And the lure of free booze is too much of a temptation to resist as our driver got wasted.
3/And I'd rather die freezing on the moor than try to sleep in a freezing van with several guys and the after effects of much beer and haggis.
And being slightly *cough* drunken myself I opted to walk home.
WTF was I thinking?
And WTF did no-one try to stop me?
In the first hour or so a couple of cars passed me and did stop to offer me a lift but i was so stubborn pissed and angry I declined.
By the time I reached the first big road it had started to snow lightly and I was stone cold sober, in the arse end of nowhere and holding back the panic.
I stood at the crossroads and stuck my thumb out whenever the rare car passed by but none stopped.
Just as I was about to carry on walking i saw headlights approaching and thumbed again when i saw it was a bus with the 'not in service' sign up, so i dropped my thumb, and my head.
Then my jaw also dropped as the bus stopped just up ahead and the door opened.
I was standing there not sure if it had stopped for me when the driver got out and beckoned.
I can still remember his words
"Bloody hell lass what are you doing out here on yer own, get on"
And so I did and I could have cried or hugged him.
I told him what had happened and he turned the air blue, both at me and my pals LOL
He said he could take me to within a couple of miles of where i lived as the depot was in a different direction.
Sitting in that warm bus on the front seat while he told me about his family and how proud he was of his daughter who was at university made me feel safe.
When we hit the first town he asked if I minded if he ate some chips?
Was a bit puzzled as I couldnt smell any, but when i said no, he pulled up and said he would be right back and got off the bus turning everything off
So i'm sitting there on my own on a darkened bus wondering whats going on as he vanished down an alley.
Just at the point where I'm thinking maybe i should get off , he comes back and drops a hot paper bag into my hands.
Then drives onto the seafront and we sit and eat chips watching the snow falling.
As we set off again he tells me he has made a call to the depot , and if I was his daughter he wouldnt leave me miles from home on a night like this.
And he drives me right up to the end of my road way out of his way back.

As has been my experience of the kindness of strangers when im lost away from home and have been helped I never think to ask their names when i thank them

So to that unknown bus driver , bless you
(insomniac-surfer oh go on then, just this once, Sun 28 Jun 2009, 1:18, 8 replies)

Have a click
for a heartwarming story!

edit: Though Haggis is actually rather nice when cooked and served properly- just like that other Scots thing the bagpipes. They sound awful most of the time, but when used properly they sound divine!
( uberdeity Wondered why Owen Lars knew of the term "hell" on, Sun 28 Jun 2009, 3:37, closed)

Beautiful.
*click*
(Galahad is out of his gourd on yellow bentines, Sun 28 Jun 2009, 7:51, closed)

Nice. Click.
( enoughblueskyforsailorstrousers, Sun 28 Jun 2009, 8:14, closed)

Nicely!
And haggis ain't that bad, when properly done.
( Colonel Boris "...a desperate Buzzfeed imitation...", Sun 28 Jun 2009, 11:07, closed)

Lovely, but...
Would he have done the same thing if you'd had a penis?
(razakel, Sun 28 Jun 2009, 12:43, closed)

Yes
I think he probably would have done
(insomniac-surfer oh go on then, just this once, Sun 28 Jun 2009, 13:12, closed)

Thanks :)
For the clicks :)

Im sorry to say, having tried haggis a few more times since then, still dont like it
(insomniac-surfer oh go on then, just this once, Sun 28 Jun 2009, 13:13, closed)

This is a bloody marvellous post!
CLICKS!!!
( SpankyHanky, Tue 30 Jun 2009, 16:08, closed)