my first time

ive been riding the metro alot more lately and not using the mashrutka like i used to. i kind of appreciate the long walks to and from and through the park. all the trees are naked now and it makes the morning sky look extra eerie and if you go early enough everyone is slightly sleepy and no one has the heart to push. plus i gotta work of them ice creams and it saves me a couple rubbles. so i can buy ice creams.

but every once in a while i see a mashrutka door roll open and some stuffy miss get out looking like shes going to vomit and i miss it a bit. mashrutkas are basically fancy van/mini vans loaded with rediculously placed seats and zero seat belts and they run on set routes but you have to flag them down and you have to pass up your money and you have to yell when you want out. my method is to cross my fingers that someone gets off so i dont have to choke through saying russian "stop." people pack in and your riding jerky and sometimes they let too many people in so their all kind of akwardly standing in the minivan. for a good streak of time this gang of babushki would get on at the same stop at the same stuffedup time. first time i was sitting sideways. babushki tumbles in and nestles her crotch on my knee. second time babushki tumbles in, gives me crocodile smile with anticipation and nestles her crotch on my knee. kind of hope its a one time thing. becomes a daily routine. wonder who's her rebound knee.

i was nervous the first time i ever jumped onto the thing. even less russian than my supermarket list of russian now. like a gum wrappers worth, if even. you put your hand down next to you like your telling a dog to sit. the ridiculous yellow mashrutka pulls up next to me and the door rolls open on its own and everyone inside is still moving from the sudden jerk. i try to figure out where to put my money. i kind of hold it out for the lady in front of me. dont know that you pass money by shoving it into their face. the mashrutkas going fast. teeter to the front. hand him my money. get change. teeter back. we're going 60. mph. between rush hour. he drives on the curb for a moment. going 70. no ones batting an eyelash. almost hit a mercedes going 70. hes pissed. our drivers pissed. they're trying to run eachother off the road. we roll down the window and were cursing at him and by we i mean the driver. half his body's out the window. the mercedes spits. and by the mercedes i mean the mobby guy wearing a leather jacket and driving 80 and trying to run us of the road.
but i made it to school in 20 minutes. beat that greenline transfer to redline metro route.