It's a mild spring morning and I'm on a minibus traveling from one town to another; it's a short journey, of no more than 20 kilometers, until I reach my destination, nothing but an ordinary trip, so when the minibus driver stops for a few seconds to pick up an old woman who is standing by the side of the road I hardly notice the event as my thoughts are elsewhere. However, as soon as she's inside and she makes a few steps on the narrow corridor between the two rows of passenger seats my attention is drawn to the
large white bag she's carrying as I can notice something moving inside the bag.A few seconds pass before the woman goes to the back side of the minibus when a powerful stinking smell strikes me and the other unfortunate passengers, and I instantly realize that the mysterious creature the old woman has in her bag is actually a little pig. The woman has just bought it from the fair that takes place every Saturday morning on the outskirts of my town and the only method to take her newly acquired animal at home was to get on a minibus normally destined only for human travelers!
The pig is remarkably silent, but instead, it seems that it has just done its physiological needs inside the bag, and the stench quickly fills in every corner of the small minibus; I don't even know what to say, I'm just trying to cover my nose with my hands while two ladies sitting close to me are expressing their discontent towards the owner of the pig and the driver who should not have allowed that woman to climb in. The driver is trying to apologize and he regrets that he hasn't been more careful, while another man sitting in the front row starts pulverizing some sort of spray which mixes with the unbearable stench while the ceiling trap is opened to let some much needed fresh air in. It's a chaotic scene which might seem comical if you watched it in a movie, but when it's all for real and you find yourself unwillingly involved in it there's nothing to laugh, on the contrary, it's quite dramatic as I can see that a woman in front of me is clearly feeling sick.
Fortunately, the old woman's destination is only a few kilometers away, in the only village which lies between the two towns, so the torment will be short-lived. The
pig's proud owner is not impressed by the small havoc her presence has created, she even has the nerve to answer to those who are scolding her:"You all like to eat pork," she says, "but you can't stand a little bit of smell; don't worry, the pig's smell won't kill you, but you will die from a deadly virus one day!"
I am truly stunned by her attitude; some people may be old, but that doesn't make them necessarily wise. She may have grey hair, but she's a brainless person, she has no respect for other human beings and all I want is to see her out of the bus. Finally, the minibus arrives at the station in the village and the driver yells at the old woman to get down, which she does after muttering a few more curse words. The atmosphere is getting more breathable and the second part of the journey is completed without any other incidents. The driver is upset, but the person he should be angry at is no one but himself. He should not have allowed that old woman to climb in his vehicle under any circumstances. I guess that if I had been traveling a longer distance I would have asked for a refund, but in this case, I could see no point in doing that since the ticket price was less than $1.
Several hours later, I am back on a minibus for the journey back to my hometown; the vehicle belongs to the same company, which sadly is the only one authorized to make that route at the moment, but there is another driver and, even more important, a better minibus, more comfortable than the one I travelled with in the morning, and I'm convinced that the transport firm has learned its lesson and has instructed its driver well: No more people with pigs or any other animals inside a passenger vehicle!
That was my short, but intense adventure on a short trip that proved to be nothing but ordinary, as it was supposed to be, so from now whenever I embark on apparently uninteresting and dull journey, I will keep my eyes open and expect the unexpected to happen!
