This is some New York City stuff from the New York Times. I used to take buses in Chicago so this story was interesting for me.

New York Times - METROPOLITAN DIARY

Late Bus

Dear Diary:

As a graduate student living in Morningside Heights in the 1970s, I had a position doing field work that required me to travel by train every Wednesday to Fairfield County, Conn., and back from Grand Central Terminal.

The train I usually returned on arrived at Grand Central around 11:30 p.m. I would dash to Madison Avenue and, with luck, grab a northbound M4 bus to take me to Broadway and 122nd Street.

Over the course of the year, the bus I usually caught had the same driver. We struck up long-winded conversations every week while never introducing ourselves to each other. I dreaded missing that bus because the next one would not come for quite a while.

One night, my train was late, and I was sure that I would not make my usual bus. Nonetheless, I dashed from the terminal.

As I approached the bus stop, I spotted the M4 parked, as if off-duty. Picking up speed, I heard the engine rev and saw the door open.

“You’re late,” the driver said as I climbed aboard.

— Richard Coffey