Not really traumatic more amusing really
On holiday in San Francisco I caugh a bus across town and being in a weird country in a weird town when I got on the bus I gave a quick glance over the passengers and picked out the weirdies to be wary of.
One chap was twitching slightly and was dressed a little like Arnie in the first terminator film but with more badges not dangerous looking but worthy of a wide berth, so I sat a couple of seats in front of him and settled to enjoy the ride.
A stop or 2 later a woman got on a sat next to him... nothing happened... I mocked myself for being overly suspicious of people... Then he asked her:

"Are you the same age as me?"

Huh? A bizarre and excellent question I thought. She was trapped and so entered his world of the weird and tried to answer his question and dealt with the whole thing excellently eventually established via comparing graduating years that they were close in age but not the same...

I breathed a sigh of relief, she was clearly an expert and had dealt with this slightly odd fellow with kindness, respect and understanding and now the conversation was over... she had escaped unscathed and could enjoy the rest of the journey in peace...
Except that after a minute or so *she* asks him:

"Why d'you ask?"

What??!?!? What are you doing woman? I almost got up and slapped her - don't poke the bear you silly woman! This is a bus you're not supposed to talk to anyone let alone the man whose just shown you he is at very least a little odd and maybe a bit mental!

His response without missing a beat and totally matter of fact:

"Oh I'm a paranoid schizophrenic, I thought maybe the CIA had put you here to keep tabs on me."

Once again I had to restrain myself from entering the conversation - I wanted to know why a paranoid schizophrenic would tell someone he thought was a CIA agent that he thought they were a CIA agent? And how would them being the same age as him confirm that they were a CIA agent? So many questions!

But I left them to it and they had a very level conversation about his condition, the CIA and the drugs he was suppose to take but didn't - because being a paranoid schizophrenic he thought the drugs were the CIA trying to control him... probably true

Anyway not traumatic but amusing enough to re-tell (hopefully)

Length? I think they were still talking when I got off the bus
( Sunburnt Tiger Herbie goes Piranhas!, Fri 30 May 2008, 14:35, 1 reply)

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"This is a bus you're not supposed to talk to anyone"

This is why I take the train instead when I visit the States.
( mistaspakkaman and the inedible shifting caterpillars, Fri 30 May 2008, 14:51, closed)