Diary of a St Ivean

A young man who used to catch the 9.05 a.m St Ives to Penzance bus possessed an uncanny ability to arrive at the Malakoff bus station just seconds before the bus departed. Of course, it would not have been at all remarkable if the bus had always left on time, but it rarely did so. And the young man never missed the bus. I guess he was a garage mechanic as he always wore clean blue overalls and got off the bus at a stop close to a garage. Do garage mechanics have some kind of sixth sense that tells them even at a distance when a vehicle's engine is about to start? Did the young man live close to the Malakoff and was thus able to observe from his window the state of readiness of the bus and its driver? Was he in some kind of telepathic communication with the driver?

He also had a unique manner of de-bussing. He would ring the bell but would remain seated even after the bus had stopped. In my experience, most people rise from their seat just before they arrive at their stop. Elderly people are even more cautious and are out of their seats far too early. This young man always waited until the bus had come completely to rest on its springs and passengers were looking around to see why the bell had been rung before he sprang to his feet and strode decisively down the aisle looking straight ahead and off the bus thanking the driver as he went.

He always carried a plastic box which I assumed contained his packed lunch. I often wondered what it consisted of, but was never able to discover just what it might be.