When I was ten I had braces. I had already had them for a bit and was used to the orthodontic appointments of getting them tightened and eating soft foods for a week or so. My sister had them too and our parents usually took us. My sister, being older, had taken the bus on occasion by herself so, when, for what ever reason, I too found myself in need of taking the bus to my orthodontic appointment she told me how to do it. No one had a problem with this, for I had been taking the bus to school, the 136 Montecito, for awhile.
“Walk down to Lougheed and Bainbridge, the corner where we go to the store sometimes, it will take you about 20 minutes. Take the 152 Austin going towards Lougheed Mall. Once you are past the mall watch, you will know when to get off. It will look familiar.” Simple enough. I could totally do that. “Just reverse it for on the way home.” No problem!
So I leave our place with plenty of time to get to the right corner. And as luck would have it I get to the corner just as the 152 was coming along. I have to pick up the pace a bit, but I make it. I sit back and take out my book to read as I wait for the mall to show up. There it is! So now I just need to keep watch. I will know when to get off. I watch as we go along a long road. It’s been awhile, 5 to 10 minutes, I’m thinking that that is a bit long… but I haven’t recognized the stop yet, so keep going. We turn a corner and now we are on a busier road. Still going, and going, and going. Hey, wait a minute, that’s Kootenay Loop. I’ve been here a few times, when I group of us have gone Downtown or to the PNE, or for what ever reason I take the 136 Montecito the other way after school, usually because I missed the one heading home and it’s raining… so I just take the one I take in the morning cuz it just does a big loop and eventually takes me home.
We are definitely going Downtown, and I really don’t understand. I haven’t seen the orthodontic offices at all. I must have missed it. Doesn’t really matter, I am way late. Might as well just ride the bus until it takes me back to where I started.
“Did you miss your stop?” The bus driver asks me. We’ve stopped and everyone got off. “I didn’t think so.” I reply, completely confused. “Well this is the last stop, so you have to get off.” So I do. I know I’m Downtown Vancouver, right in the middle if the height of the buildings are any indication. There is a phone booth, of course, beside the covered bus stop so I try calling my home. There is no answer. Well, now what? Go home. I get back on the bus that I just got off. It’s about 5 minutes before we start the long journey home.
And I watch as the bus goes back the same way. I watch as we pass the PNE. I watch as we pass the Kootenay Loop. I watch as we pass the street we had turned on to start heading Downtown. I doesn’t bother me too much, the 136 doesn’t take the exact same route either.
THAT IS WHERE AUNTIE NANNE LIVED!!!!! Thank God. I recognize something. I could walk home from here if I had to. I won’t be long now. Wait a minute, where did everything go? This is a very dark street. When did it get so dark? There is NOTHING here! Did we just pass a bus stop? There is nothing around. OK. Calm yourself, Cindee, just get off at the next bus stop and walk back to where you know where you are. It is so dark out here and there are no street lights. Oh, crap, that was another bus stop. Every time you let a bus stop pass you are making it farther and farther away to get back to where you know where you are. Ok, next one for sure, pull the cord. That was it, that was the next stop. Do it now, Do it now, pull the cord!
Fools and children. God looks out for fools and children.
The bus stops. I get off and look across the street. There is a small building there, surrounded by a bunch of other small building. I don’t really see those, all I see is a phone booth. I calmly walk across the street. Step into the phone booth, turn around and face the way I came as I put my quarter in and dial my home number.
“Hello?” It’s my dad’s voice. I can’t help it, every ounce of logic, strength, and courage I have had is gone! I start crying, not just crying but ugly crying. There is instant snot coming out of my nose, I can barely see for the water emerging from my eyes. I hear nothing, see nothing, all I know is that I am now safe. My daddy will come for me.
“Daddy? I’m lost.” I get out.
“Cindee, where are you!!!!????” he asks, and I can hear the relief in his voice too.
I think to myself, ‘I just told you! I’m lost!’ but I don’t say that, instead I say; “I don’t know.”
“Well, what do you see?” He asks as he gathers himself to the relief that his child is safe.
And I respond to the question asked of me, with no hesitation; “Tree and Mountains.”
I must stop here for a moment and explain something that you may not know. I live in British Columbia Canada. Our tagline is “Beautiful BC” because of it’s natural beauty of… trees and mountains. There isn’t a place in all of BC that you CAN NOT see trees and mountains. I have been gone for hours… at least 4, I could be anywhere!!! This is the thought that is going through my dad’s mind at this point.
My dad calmly asks me; “Is there anything else that you can see?”
“Yes.” I answer… I am no longer able to think logically.
“What?” he continues.
“A sign.” I respond.
“And what does the sign say?”
“Inlet View Motel”
“I know exactly where you are. I will be there within ten minutes!” and with that my daddy hangs up the phone and I sit and cry tears of relief until he comes to get me.
When everyone is home, safe and sound, food has been had and the retelling of each other’s point of view, it is determined that I got on the wrong bus. For I do not know the difference between Lougheed Mall and Brentwood Mall. We live, pretty much, equal distance between the two.
