“. . . For the Apple’s Sake”
On my way to the Metro yesterday, I noticed a man walking ahead of me, snacking on an apple as he went. I must say I admire this feat; I am not one to walk and eat because I am something of an uncoordinated klutz. I would end up on the ground, somehow, eating asphalt instead of my original food product, choking; I fare much better with drinks in hand. But that’s just me. This guy had no problem.
Where I eclipse him, though, is the safe disposal of said food. He finished his apple and was passing by a garbage can. Aimed, squinted and—damn!—missed. The apple core rolled into the street in front of a Metrobus starting to move away from the bus stop we happened to be passing at the time.
This guy, though, was undaunted. He bounced into the street and in front of the bus, which was able to stop a couple of feet from him, the bus driver looking at him with an expression of incredulity. I jumped a bit, expecting to see a bigger mess than an apple core. The guy paid no mind to the reactions about him; he plucked up his discarded apple core with the huge Metrobus grille looming over him, hopped back onto the sidewalk, and continued on his merry way. The bus driver gave him one final glance, disgust etched on his face, then pulled away before another one of the walkers decided to jump in front of his charge.
This guy’s instinct for survival isn’t that hot, but it’s nice to see that the anti-littering campaigns of the 70s and 80s were not lost on him. I’m sure Woodsy Owl would be proud his message migrated from the forests into urban and suburban areas.
While jumping in front of a Metrobus is never advisable (once or twice I’ve found myself in front of them through no fault of my own, and people seem to get killed by them fairly regularly), this guy’s actions might have been a bit more justifiable from the Woodsey Owl etc. perspective were it not for the fact that an apple core is 100% biodegradable, and the birds and the squirrels probably would have been at it within minutes of his leaving it on the street, anyway. Hopefully he then continued on his way to a job where he is responsible for the proper disposal of some kind of nasty toxic waste stuff.
A Metrobus is not the type of machine I ever want to face down, so I was flabbergasted when he just jumped in front of the bus. Some of the bus drivers obviously infringe on pedestrians’ right of way (I think we’re thinking of the same intersection), but this wasn’t an instance of it (which I know you’re not saying, btw). I just didn’t get it–sure, go ahead, pick up your garbage, that’s fine, but at least wait until traffic clears. This guy was on autopilot.