“One afternoon I was the only passenger left. But the driver hadn't seen me, and as we pulled away from the Vertigo hospital, he began to sing, very loudly and proudly,

I'm alone on the bus!
I'm alone on the bus!

This song has loomed large. I am a big believer in, and performer of, the spur-of-the-moment self-composed song. My sister and I compete aloud in this art form whenever we are together and something unusual or something unremarkable or nothing happens, to the unconfirmed delight of our families. However, in this instance I was afraid the driver would skip my stop, so I had to pull the Stop Request cord, which rang its little reminder that he was, contrary to his performance, not alone on the bus.

He took it pretty well. There was nothing to be self-conscious about, really; we both knew why he was singing. He was bored.”