Unexpected Trip

I got up early today so I wouldn't miss the opening of a new lunch bistro on the other side of town. I was up late studying at the university library, and I only get Fridays free. So, I forced myself out of bed at 10 am after getting into bed at 3am. It took some doing, but I have heard about the food from people who have eaten at this restaurant in other cities and now that one is coming to my area within a reasonable distance of travel, I cannot pass up the opportunity.

I made it down to the bus stop with 10 minutes to spare. I was lucky that there were a few spaces left on the bench. I sat down and a woman next to me was reading a magazine. I had my earbuds in so I really wasn't tuned into the world around me. I saw her out of the corner of my eye fold her magazine and stand up. That was my cue, I looked and saw the crosstown bus coming. The bus was pretty much on schedule and my stomach was rumbling. I only had a bottle of water and a pack of crackers when I got up. I was so looking forward to trying some of the new tasty dishes, that I didn't eat heavy to leave room to sample all of the food. We got onto the bus, I swiped my bus pass, and it dinged letting me know that 1.75 had been deducted from my account. My phone chimed with an email receipt, and I found a seat back and across from the woman who had gotten on before me. As the bus moved forward, I was lost in my own world. Tunes were playing in my earbuds; time seemed to stand still a bit. Suddenly the bus came to a stop two blocks from where we had been picked up. Then after a moment it started again. Each time the bus stopped, I could imagine smelling the food. Well on the 5th stop, the woman who had been sitting beside me on the bench got up. She picked up her bag and put her magazine back in it. What she didn't notice that as she fumbled through her bag, her wallet fell out onto the floor. I didn't notice it at first, but then when she turned around towards the front of the bus, her foot knocked it like a Hockey Puck and it slid back under my seat. I only noticed it because I felt something brush past my foot. I looked under my seat and called out hey miss, but she was not paying any attention. Decision, get the wallet and go after her or hand it over to the bus driver and proceed on to silence my rumbling stomach. Chivilary is the better part of valor, so I fished under my seat and got her wallet. I then tried to get up quickly but a woman with 2 kids was blocking the aisle . The bus got into motion and I panicked, I looked out the window and saw the woman walking down the street and headed for the corner. I finally got up and pushed by the woman with kids. Luckily for me the bus stopped on the next block at the light for cross town traffic. So I made my way to the front and asked to be let off. The driver opened the door and I sprang into action. What am I saying, I mean I began to walk quickly back towards the last stop. I am not a very atheletic person and you don' do much running in flipflops. I made it to the corner but I didn't see the woman who had dropped the wallet. I had to wait for the light to cross over to the otherside of the street. I moved as fast as I could, I was wheezing a bit. I really needed to get into the gym I thought to myself. I shuffeled down to the next block and looked around the corner then back down the other corner. I still couldn't see where the woman had went. So I stopped a moment and got my bearings while composing myself. Then I thought, where could she have gone so quickly. My mind churned with ideas as my stomach was churning with hunger. Then it occoured to me, duh, just look in her wallet and see if she has an ID. So I opened her wallet and found a bus pass, a credit card, some loose change and a few bills and bingo, I had her license, it gave her name and address. Much to my dismay, she lived back past where I had come from. So it was decision time, do I try to find the woman or do I continue on with my journey of food exploration. Knowing that I would likely not find her anytime soon, I decided to continue on with my food journey. So I walked back to the corner and found a seat at the bus stop, I looked at the schedule on my phone and realized that another bus wouldn't going in my direction wouldn't be along for at least 40 minuets. So I am sitting here waiting, earbuds in and stomach rumbling. As I looked at the traffick passing, I ran over various scenarios in my head where I would get to eat fantastic dishes. I also couldn't stop thinking about the woman. After much reflective thought and 6 songs off of my play list, I saw my bus approaching. I got up and prepared to get on the bus, I felt in my pocket for my bus pass and I couldn't find it. I searched in every pocket of my cargo shorts but to no avail. I was frustrated to no end. It then dawned on me, the woman's bus pass was in her wallet. It was the least she could do to spring for my sojourn into cullinary nirvana. So I pulled her wallet out and got her pass out. I then stepped onto the bus and swiped the card. It didn't chime as it usually would, it beeped in an odd tone. I swiped it again and again but it still wouldn't respond the way I wanted. The driver said hey your pass doesn't have enough money on it. So I thought to myself, I asked can I pay with cash. So I put the pass back into the womans wallet and looked to see how much money she had. I saw two twenties. I took one out but the driver asked you got anything smaller, I said not at the moment. He then said the machine can't take anything bigger than a 5, so I was stuck again. As much as I really wanted to get to the bistro, I couldn't move forward because I didn't have the correct change nor did I have a working pass. So I was forced to abandon the bus for now. Back on the sidewalk, I decided to head back and see if I could find my own bus pass. I walked back several blocks and had no luck. I concluded that it must have fallen off on the last bus. So I made the hard decision. I will log onto my phone and get a digitial pass. As I sat back down on a bench, I brought up my phones internet. No signal, what does it mean no signal. I cannot believe it. How can I not have internet. Then I realized that I was between a bunch of high rise buildings and that they must be blocking the signal. So here I am stuck on the side of a city street, at least 3 miles from my apartment building. I am inapporpriately dressed to slog 3 miles. I am hungry, I cannot access the internet and what else could go wrong. Just as the thought crossed my mind, I felt something wet hit me. A pigeon I thought, worse, I looked up and saw a dark cloud hanging overhead then a torrent of rain began to fall. I began to scamper around like a confuset squirrel. I finally found a building with an exterior awning. I got under it but I was already soaked. I stood shivering for nearly 20 minuets before the torrent of rain let up. I came out from under cover and thought it best to just start walking back to my apartment. So for the next 40 minuets I walked and walked feet sliding in and out of my flipflops. The rain had gone but now the sun was out and the concrete and asphalt had become a sauna. I felt like I was going to melt. I finallly got back to my building. I put in the security code and took the elevator up to my place. It was already 1230 pm and I was starving. I went straight to the kitchen and got into 2-day old pizza. I shoveled down two pieces only to hear my stomach complain. I know, I know I thought to myself. It isn't a delicatisen delight, but it will have to do for now.. I shucked my clothes and found a towel. I dried off and found some more appropriate clothing. I then sat down and began to think out loud. Should I take this as a karmatic warning that perhaps I should not be trying to go to the grand opening of a new eatery, or should I just brush it off as bad luck and go anyway. Inside I already knew the answer, you do not commit to a quest then quit halfway through. So onward I would go.

After the pitiful respite of old stale pizza, a glass of water and a change of clothes. I found my back up bus pass. I try to plan ahead, having two of everything has always benefited me. The old scouting motto I guess, be prepared. So, I decided that I was going to do this. I needed to formulate a plan. I had no idea where this lady was or when she would be getting home. I decided to go to her listed address and just wait on her. I went out with the handy bus schedule. I then caught the next bus headed in her apartment's direction. After about an hour, I arrived at the address on her license, all the way across town. Far removed from the desire of my stomach. I saw that the buiding required a code to get in but it had a buzzer and speaker. I hit her apartment number and waited. A voice came from the speaker, I asked if the woman I was looking for was in. There was a pause and the voice on the other end said I am very sorry, but she moved from here last month to the other side of town to be closer to her daughter. I began to seethe inside. I couldn't believe it, I had wasted half a day and my stomachs desire trying to do the right thing, only to be stonewalled again. I then explained the situation and asked if there was any way the new tenant could give me the womans new address. She said that the manager might have her contact information. So I waited and waited then finally a kindly looking well dressed gentleman came down. He looked me over then asked to see her wallet. I handed it to him, he opened it and looked at her ID. He said yes that is her, I will help you out because she was a very good tenant and friend. So he handed the wallet back to me and asked me to wait while he went to get his car. I couldn't belive it. Perhaps I would finally be done with this ordeal. A few minuets later a dark sedan pulls up and I get in the passangers seat. I am not much in the mood to talk, but the man driving says how amazing it is that someone like myself would take the time to try to help someone. I kind of scoffed inside, someone like me, he doesn't even know me. That being aside, I just responded kindly that it really wasn't anything that anyone else wouldn't do. As we passed through downtown traffic, my stomach churned a little bit. Perhaps it was nerves or perhaps it was 2 day old Pizza. I really wasn't sure which it was. We got to her new building and I recognized it from the skyline. I had been in this area earlier. The man parked his car and called on his carphone. A polite gentle voice answered. It was the owner of the wallet. She spoke and I responded that I had her wallet. She said she would be right down. I was apprenhentious to say the least. When she walked out of the front of her building I stepped out and handed her the wallet. She was excited, she said she didn't think she would see it again. She was very grateful and asked if she could somehow repay me. I said no reward was necessary, I was just glad to see that she got her property back. Then my stomach growled so loudly as if to protest my modestity. The woman said you must be starving. She asked the man who drove me to her building if he would like to join her in a meal. He said he would be delighted. She then said you come along also, the least I can do is feed you. I could only imagine what kind of dinner fare these two would want to partake of. I had decided that the bistro just wasn't in my future. I got into the back of the car and let her ride in the front next to her friend. They were chatty as a couple of Parrots. We drove for about 10 minuets, and finally pulled up in the front of a resturant with a line around the block. I recognized it instantly, it was the bistro I had been trying to get to all day. Again my heart sank and my stomach reeled in disappointment. The man looked at his friend a moment and she directed him to pull down a side street. I was confused at first but then she told him to park behind the resturant. As we exied the vehicle the woman got on her phone. As we apporached the back of the building the door opened to the kitchen. Once inside a woman in an apron with a chefs hat on came up and gave the woman a hug. She introduced the Chef who was part owner of the resturant. She said that this was her daughter. She had moved closer to help out with her grandchildren while her daughter and son in law got the business up and running. In a moment of sheer amazement, I could not speak. Just as a professional athelete might feel after winning a major game, I was in awe and filled with humility. The woman told her daughter how I had made a valiant effort to return her wallet. The daughter/Chef said that such a heroic effort deserved a descent meal. We were escorted out to the front and seated in a reserve table. I could not believe it but there we were. I would have settled for a single order, but now the whole menu was before me. I didn't know what I would try first, but I knew that after the day I had, a food coma was in my future.