Una Ragazza Bella

I was going to write about the absurdities of "Political Correctness" but thought, "Hang on, I've only been doing this blogging for 5 minutes, better not write anything too controversial!" So instead, I am writing about something fairly unusual (for us) that happened on a bus a few nights ago.

Harry and I had been out for a lovely evening with friends.

As we knew we would be having a couple of drinks and we never drink & drive, we left the car at home and caught a bus to our city centre. No problems going ...........

Coming home, just before 11 pm, we waved friends off, as they boarded their bus. We were now back on our city centre, not a good place to be late at night, but it still wasn't that late.

We were faced with three choices. We like walking, but that was not an option as we would have to go through a most unsafe area to get home.

We could get a taxi or bus it. We walked a short distance while we were deciding, but happened to come to the bus stop first. There were already several people waiting and this bus would take us almost to our door. So we joined the queue.

What was the fracas going on? A young, small, pretty teenage girl lying in the gutter, her back in a pool of water. A very irate man, not much older, trying to get her up and trying to reason with her. She was blind drunk and obviously didn't know what she was doing or saying. She staggered to her feet and started screaming obscenities in Italian and English.

The bus drew up and our small queue boarded it, the drunken girl followed us and went to the back of the bus without paying. The driver did not say anything. The red haired lad told the driver that he'd pay for the girl and he joined her, sitting on the seat beside her. He kept scolding her for making a spectacle of herself and for putting her feet up on the seat in front.

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed she'd taken off her coat and was lying on the floor stroking the leg of the man sitting directly behind us. The young man who had taken responsibility for her, some how or other managed to get her back into her seat, his face now as red as his hair! He tried reasoning with her one minute and being angry the next, but nothing seemed to work. 

"Sebastian, Sebastian ..... I love him ..... he is my husband ...... he is my lover," she exclaimed with her lilting Italian accent.

"Shut up, will you!" Redhead replied, "Can't you see everyone's looking at you!" and so it went on.

I was suddenly aware of her standing right by us now, only clothed in a tiny skirt and tights. She looked as though she was about to take her bra off. Harry was trying to turn his back on her as she started to rub up against him.

No one said anything .... bus driver taking no notice and boyfriend not rescuing her this time. Harry did not think it was Christmas come early and was looking so embarrassed.

I looked into her glazed eyes and said, "I'd go and sit down, love, before you fall." Ridiculous remark, but it seemed to cool her ardor and she went back to her seat. 

Still no one saying anything in the bus but lots of eye rolling by now.

Our stop came fairly soon afterwards and the driver never said a word as we disembarked.  As we walked past the bus. We turned to see where the couple were sitting, Redhead still trying to control the girl's behaviour, she, still resisting and carrying on the antics.

Normally after a night out, we'd have a bedtime drink to wind down, and discuss our outing, but this time the scene in the bus, played on our minds & prevented us from settling down.

Was the boy she was with, taking her home to save her from being harmed on the city centre or was he  also going to take advantage of her?

She must have parents somewhere who worried about her. Why did she have to get into such a state in the first place? She was just about young enough to be our grand child! Took a long while to get to sleep as I worked out the possibilities.

I guess I need to get out more!