Father's bus ride

My father had not gone in a bus for ages... But when my parents came to Colombo he didn’t retain his official vehicle which they came in. My sister had taken the car we use in Colombo to work last night. So when my father had to go to the central bank this morning he wanted to take a bus! Now this is adventure for him. And I got to join in for the ride.

 

When we got in to a 176 bus from Nawala junction, it wasn’t crowded but there weren’t any seats available. The back seat had a little space left but it wasn’t enough for an adult to sit. But as soon as my father got in to the bus he sat in the back seat wadding every millimetre of the seat. I bought tickets and stood near him.

 

Any one who has taken the 176 route know about the free rollercoaster experience. So need less to say what was in store for my father who has had a bypass a decade ago. About 2 kilometres on the way a girl got off from the back seat. My father was concerned about my comfort and called in a bit too loud voice, “Putha methanin indaganna” (Son come sit here) I kindly refused as there was hardly enough space for me to fit in. Soon a seat to the front became vacant and I sat there. Towards the end of our journey of 176 I looked back to see how he’s doing. He was holding the grill of back windscreen with one hand and the front seat with the other.

 

I’m quite certain that he’d remember the experience for the rest of his life.

 

I personally remarked that I’d never let him take buses again. I don’t want to take that risk again.