Mid-America

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When I've boarded the first bus back in New-England, it was half empty, quiet and had wifi and electric power. All this changed when we left New-York at Buffalo and entered the Mid-West. Now the bus is less new, no electric sockets, and instead of the neat kid from Rochester, I'm sitting next to some weird old guy who smelt funny and tilted his seat right on the poor guy behind him.
But on the Cleveland to Chicago bus I really got the Full Monty, especially since Toledo . And I'm not just talking about the resident crazy guy, self (and loudly) proclaimed to be an air force officer, gay, porn star, up and coming Hollywood actor, holding top secret proofs to alien presence on Earth, and believing in God (but not the Devil). All in all, an all together attention craving man.
But also all the girls arguing with him, in very loud voices. All ver the bus, people chattering all the time. The guy in the back preaching the Muslim word to anyone who wants to listen and even if no one wants. Te girl right behind me, humming to herself and complaining about some other man listening to music, then talking out her own cell-phone/boom-box and singing along quite loudly herself. The other girl, taking care of a retarded brother and learning special education.
And even the nice girl sitting next to me, 26, pregnant and already with a six year old boy back home, no job or skills, going for a smoke in each stop we make, but being quite optimistic about everything.
I've seen The States so many times on the screen before but right now I've got America here in the bus with me. And man, it's noisy.

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