Every weekday, I walk into a den of superheroes and a lair of
supervillains.The regulars on the bus I take to my downtown Seattle
office have become more than just a sea of semi-familiar faces; they are
the costumed crusaders that keep the city safe. Not in a grandiose,
Batmannish sort of way, but in their own, quiet ways. I’m sure that
everybody has a few of these -– people who seem to be just that little
bit more … interesting, somehow. More distinguished. People who seem to have just a little bit more going on than the average citizen.
It’s pretty easy to pick out the daily villains. There seem to be some pretty standard archetypes — The Bottlenecker, The Loud Gum Chewer, Too Much Cologne Man, and everybody’s favorite, Lil’ Miss Nickelback,
the 16-year old terror with her Hot Topic body armor and her iPod set
to stun. But the heroes are just as vital to recognize, for they keep
these dark forces in check. Here are a few of the crusaders I ride with
daily:
Alpha Nerd. Dresses all in black, and slings a
laptop bag in one arm while nestling a netbook in the other. He
generally sits cross-legged. At first blush, it seems as though this is a
ploy to keep the seat all to himself, but it’s really for maximum commuter computing ease.
Sometimes, when I steal a peek over his shoulder, I can see that he has
a veritable Tetris stack of spreadsheets open and running, but peeking
out from behind them is a D&D Online web page. Alpha Nerd fights the
orcs so we don’t have to.
Karen By Night. Four days out of the week, Karen
seems to be a pretty typical office gal, all business casual and
sensible shoes. But come casual Friday, all the cubicle frumpery is
ditched in favor of tight black Levis, Converse Hi-Tops and vintage
cotton pajama tops — the timeless uniform of the Classic Vintage
Thrift-Store Maven. She can wield ’60s faux pearls and ‘70s Vivaldi
pumps with neither fear nor remorse.
Walks-in-the-Clouds. This gentleman is impeccably
dressed, always polite, and has perfect poise and posture. He is also
always reading books about angels and how they walk among us. I
not-so-secretly believe that he is indeed one of said angels (or is at
least in their employ), and is here doing fact-checking and making sure
he (or they) is portrayed well in popular fiction.
Pretty in Pink. She dresses in monochrome: Like a
grey fog bank in winter and in glorious pastel pinks in the spring and
summer. Like Karen By Night, Pretty’s superpower comes from her
flawless fashion sense; just being in close proximity with her makes you
feel a little bit more put-together. Sometimes it’s all you need.
Rockabilly Rebel. His name is probably Karl, and he
probably works at Tully’s, but for a few brief and shining moments every
morning, he’s the heppest cat in the whole bus shelter. When the
morning sun hits him just right, you can see the glint of his pomade and
you can almost hear the invisible bassline that follows him around. Ka-dunga-dunga-dunga-dunga.
Small Craft Advisory. I swear this gal has been knitting the
same sweater or scarf or whatever it is for at least seven years. And
we’ve only been riding the bus together for four. Nonetheless… Small
Craft’s super power is kinetic energy. If you are having a
sleepy sort of morning, just sitting near her will be enough to give
you the fits and spurts of energy you need to get you through your
commute. Conversely, if you need just a few more minutes of sleep, the
rhythmic clickety-clack of her needles will soothe you right into
slumber.
I have no idea what their real stories are, but I hope they are at
least as interesting as the ones I have made up. Perhaps one day I’ll
get up the gumption to strike up a conversation and find out. But until
then, I’m quite happy to believe that these people will be there,
quietly saving the day and keeping my commute safe from drudgery.
And I have to wonder: am I a character in anyone’s work-a-day narrative? Am I maybe Cranky Hoodie Girl or She Who Wears Blue Shoes? And am I a hero or villain? I’ll probably never know.
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