A few months on as a bus driver I was doing the last trip on my route for the night. It was around 1 am and this individual with a limp starts walking towards the bus, stops mid walk and then continues walking towards my bus with a shy look on his face. He gets on and tells me he has no change on him and was wondering if I could give him a ride to the train station. I gave him a shrug and told him to take a seat. I start reading my newspaper and the guy limps towards me with a retreated look and asks if I had any food he could eat. I give him a weird sigh and tell him, "No?" I was pushed back, as to passengers usually just sit down with zero interaction with the driver, this individual on top had the audacity to ask me for something. I went back to my newspaper. Again the individual walks up to me, and now tells me he is sorry he asked me for food and not to think lowly of him. I told him it's okay and to take a seat. I drive the bus, and he starts talking to me, telling me how he just came from his native country and has had a hard time finding a job and he has no food to eat when he gets home, while I just zoned out driving my last trip. I got to the train station and he said thank you and sorry again for asking me. I told him it's alright and have to have a nice day.

I'm now driving the bus back to the garage and that's when it hits me. I had grown so numb from passengers lying to me, asking for free rides and telling me their fake stories that here was an actually individual that really asked for help, and me being so used to all the bullshit made him feel stupid for asking and he apologized for it. I started to feel queasy and once I parked the bus and got into my car, I just started bawling out crying. I couldn't believe the person I had turned into.

I had been blessed with such a good job, a steady paycheck and nice hot meal to go home to. This man just wanted something to eat, something so basic...and I showed no empathy towards him. If I could go clean out my bank and give him everything in it I would have at that moment. I called my best friend and told her what had happened and I just cried and cried.

From that day on, my perspective towards passengers getting on my bus changed.This individual opened my eyes as to to struggle everyone gets on with and keeps to themselves. If someone wanted a free ride, I gave it to them, if someone need help taking something of the bus, I got off my chair and helped them. In a way trying to find some sort of redemption for not helping this one man. I think about him once in a while, if hes doing good, if he is still in the country.