Double Deck the Halls

On the bus tonight I kept glancing on my phone and checking the time. In thirty minutes it will be officially Christmas.

I left Van at Lan Kwai Fong just when the masses began their pilgrimage to Hong Kong's nightlife district. Had I gotten major good news from an earlier business appointment, or, at least, had I worn more comfortable shoes, I would've stayed longer. But my spirits were low and my feet were screaming through the fungi so I wished Van a merry Christmas and got on the bus.

My only hope was to make it home before midnight. The 45-minute trip home would usually have me sleeping halfway through. Tonight, however, the possibility of meeting Christmas inside the bus entertained me. Would everyone greet each other?

Seated at the upper floor of the double decker bus, I looked at the passengers near me. A couple and their daughter were at the front. The father busy watching a movie on his mobile, the mother exchanging tall tales with her daughter. Beside me, a woman observed the world disappear into a blur behind us as she listened to her music. Across the aisle, another woman lulled herself to sleep with a 2nd generation iPod probably set to shuffle and beside her, a middle-aged lady clung to her shopping bags. Behind me, two guys were chatting. Beyond that, the themes just recur--earphoned people, chatty people, sleepers, observers and thinkers. There were a few lovers, too. Judging from the crowd, the chances of them bursting into a Christmas carol were very slim.

By 11:30, the bus was already on Ting Kau Bridge, my favorite bridge in Hong Kong. Watching the bridge's cables roll by while listening to the perfect song is sometimes better than sex. It should be another 15 minutes before I got home, I thought. I'd have enough time to buy some crappy food at the grocery for Christmas lunch.

11:50 and the cashier was asking about some sort of "toy". Experience told me that "toy" meant plastic bag (maybe). I didn't have time to be environmentally friendly so I said yes.

11:58 with a few minutes to spare to get the mail from the post box. At exactly midnight the front desk guard greeted me "merry Christmas". I smiled and greeted back. That was nice, I thought.

It was 12:01 when I took off my boots, still wondering whether the other people in the bus also made it home in time for Christmas (if it mattered to them at all).