The bus is a never-ending source of crazy stories. This short story is about a man who was peddling his wares to everyone on the bus. His wares were these little beakers filled with scented oils. Here he is now...
Just sitting with my oils. Watching the scenery go by.
I've seen men selling these oils downtown, so the oils are nothing new to me. What was new was this guy just moving around the bus, sitting next to riders, and asking them to buy his oils. He had the oil beakers propped up in this big, three-tiered, wooden contraption. No hiding his intentions. Nothing to guess about there. Isn't that sort of thing illegal on public transportation? Or did he flash his permit to the driver when he boarded? No? Yeah, I bet not. Should I just fill a bag with some Jergens hand lotions and start making some side cash on my way from Oakland to downtown every day? Hmm...
Here he is talking to a
rider customer.
*whispers* Psst. You wanna smell good?
The funny thing was that I didn't hear him talk at all. He must have whispered. Kept his selling on the down low. Huh. Wonder why.
Oh look. He's on the move...
Thanks, my man. Gotta run...
In the bag are packages of incense. He didn't sell any oil, but two people bought some incense. Score! I think that he saw me giving him the side-eye, so he didn't come and whisper his sales pitch to me. I like it. A no-pressure salesman.
