Greyhound Memoirs #17

VEGETARIAN
5/18/01 2:40pm MST

Quite a rowdy, lippy group on this bus. To give them the benefit of the doubt, maybe they aren’t normally like this, but due to lack of sleep, shower and normal food bus travel multiplies their natural loopiness.

The driver just asked for the “off-color” remarks to stop because women and children are on board.

We stopped in Rawling, Wyoming for a cigarette and stretch near nothing. A bag lady from the bus made a remark about some of us smelling bad and “Tiny”, who is a truck driver and of course not a small man, said, “if that isn’t the pot calling the kettle black.” Everyone curses like a sailor. It’s absolutely wonderful. One woman asked another passenger to get her a soda across the street and he said, “Shit no, you’ve got legs.”

Last night, at a brief stop, somewhere in Iowa or Nebraska (pretty sure it was Iowa) the bus filled with the smell of slaughtered chickens. It was absolutely horrible. I was so nauseous; I thought I would lose it all over Jose.

Over four years later, I remember this experience vividly. We stopped for a 10-minute rest in the wee hours of the morning. I stayed on the bus for about 3 minutes, and then decided I might as well have a cigarette, since I couldn’t sleep. As I got off the bus, the smell was over-powering. The familiar smell was hard to place at first and once I did I never thought I would be able to eat chicken again. I lit my cigarette and smoked as much as I could until I thought I would toss my cookies. I got back on the bus to get away from the smell only to find the odor had completely permeated throughout the bus and remained for hours only slowing losing its offensive power mile after mile. Somehow, I was able to choke down some chicken only a few short weeks later.

My ears have been popping a little in the mountains. I hope my stomach stays settled. Driving through the Smokey’s always made me loose it when I was younger. All I have eaten today is beef jerky and soda pop.