Oh 99, I Heart YouAt 10:36 PMby: Hiro

Funny that Nana mention the 99(It's an OC Transpo bus and mentioned in yesterday's post). Well, not funny in the sense of a knee-slapper or a laugh-and-a-half, but coincidentally funny I guess. That is, my fellow readers, because the dear 99 and I have quite the history. The following is a very personal and touching story that I hold close to my heart and I would like to share it with you. I apologize in advance for the long post, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

[engage crazy blurring effects with some funky sound effects to let us go into the past]

It all started in the summer of '04. Ah, it was indeed a magical summer. My first time living in Ottawa. Well, not really Ottawa since technically I was in Gloucester(pronounced "Glosster" and not "Glouchester" by which I mistakenly called my first time), but it's actually just a shithole on the outskirts of Ottawa so we'll just call it Ottawa. The reason why I ended up in Gloucester is quite peculiar. That summer was my first co-op work term and I got a job in Ottawa at Natural Resources Canada. So naturally, over the months before May(when my job started) I did not bother finding a place to live in Ottawa. That is, until 1 week before I was to start working. So I decided it was high time to set things in motion to assure that I wouldn't have to live in a box for a few weeks. I casually asked around to see if my friends in Ottawa knew of any places for rent. Sure enough, a couple of days later my good friend Jeff from back home messages me saying he's in a townhouse all by himself with a place for me. Not quite close to my workplace, but I'm lazy. Deal. Did I mention it was only $225 a month? Haha sweet deal.

Right, the 99. You're wondering what the heck this has to do with the 99. So anyway, I lived about a 12.672345 minute walk away from the St. Laurent mall which has a large bus station. I first met the 99 on my second day of work. The first day, I had taken a combination of 2 buses(the 14 and the 85) and it took forever. I felt like I was on a tour bus of Ottawa. Needless to say, I looked for another bus. I searched through all the listings, and I found out about the 99. It was love at first sight.

From the mall the 99 would come by and whisk me away on an enchanting 20 minute journey to work. The 99 truly was a glorious bus. Despite being on the totally wrong side of Ottawa, it was a short trip to work as the 99 took a route that avoided most of the busier roads and stations. And I didn't even have to transfer. Bonus.

The 99 took good care of me that summer. It was thanks to the 99 that commuting across town was bearable. However, I did have a certain gripe with the 99. You see, every morning I would sleep in rather late(as far as having a full-time job goes), til around 9 am every morning. The fact that I have flexible hours at work made it that much easier to get every bit of sleep possible. The problem was, the 99 came every 10 minutes or so, early on in the mornings, then about every 15 minutes between 8-9:30 am. But after 9:30, the next 99 wasn't until 10 am.

Almost every morning I'd drag myself out of bed at 9, get ready in 15 minutes and haul ass over to the mall. I've even sprinted the entire 12 minute walk(and then through the entire mall to get to the bus station) in a matter of minutes. Desperate times call for desperate measures. However almost once or twice a week, the 9:30 would be early. I'd miss it by minutes, sometimes seconds. So then I'd have to sit at the damn station for half an hour until the next bus. This, as you may have guessed, did not amuse me. I'd get into work around 10:30 and have to work until 6:30 pm. Let's just say we weren't exactly on speaking terms on the ride home.

Speaking of getting into work late...there were a few times that I didn't get into work until about 11 am. Then I'd take my lunch break an hour later. Heh, good times.

So anyway, the summer went by quickly and I bid my farewell to the 99. It was a great summer but not all things in this world are meant to last. A long distance relationship wouldn't have worked out too well I'd imagine.

This January, I was back on co-op and I returned to my old job. It was a great job and I loved Ottawa (all my good friends from back home going to school in Ottawa didn't hurt either) so I figured why not. However, I decided I'd treat myself this term and live closer to work or at least my friends. Consequently, I am now living in Brooks residence(it's like an apartment) on University of Ottawa campus. Win-win situation. It's awesome.

As fate would have it, the 99 was once again the quickest and easiest way to get to work. On that cold, miserable January 3rd I was greeted by the 99. Having spent 4 months apart, I was a bit nervous to hop aboard. However once I was taken in by the warm, welcoming atmosphere, it felt like it was just yesterday. Can't you see? We were simply meant to be together.

The 99 is still the same though. Old habits die hard I guess. I now usually take the 9:22 am bus(keep in mind I'm a lot closer to work now) to work. But as in the past, the 99 sometimes comes a couple minutes early and I just miss it making me wait until the next one comes at 9:40. Now it's only a 20 minute wait but this sure ain't summer. I get to stand all alone outside in the freezing cold as countless drivers pass by laughing(on the inside) at me for being stood up.

We're kind of on a break right now. This actually happened to me 3 times this week. This morning the 99 tried to patch things up between us but I'm still a little bitter. Maybe I'll have the weekend to find it in my heart to forgive the 99.

An apology wouldn't hurt either.