Extraordinary Coping Skills

Extraordinary Coping Skills

(PM# XLIII)

I witnessed a pretty magnificent

marvel coming home on the bus

last night.

The bus stopped to pick someone

up,

the bus driver got out of his seat

and made the people on the bench

by the door get up and move

along.

He flicked a switch under the bench

and it swung up leaving quite

a large space.

He then activated a ramp that ran

from the door to the ground,

a guy in a supersonic futuristic

wheelchair inched his way on the

bus using a toggle he operated

with his nose.

He was very agile and it only took him

a moment to wheel the chair

around and out of everyone's way.

He couldn't talk and he could only

move his head. He had an ipod

directly in front of his face by the

controls which he operated

with his nose.

His head moved back and forth\not in any nervous fashion but

obviously in time to the

music.

There were a number of zippered

pockets on the back of his chair

making up an elaborate backpack

which I assume contained a

washroom and any other things

he would have needed in a day.

I don't know how he would have accessed

anything in there as he

was alone and had no use of his arms,

I guess he would have asked one of us.

Either he had secretly signaled the

driver or he knew where to let him

off because he got out just as

quickly as he had embarked

and I watched how he motored

off into the pouring rain,

driving with his nose.

If one of my eyes had been

gouged out at that moment, how

could I have complained about it?

And who on that bus would

have listened?

MCC