ODE TO UTA

i currently am riding the bus to work, for various reasons, none of which are al gore-documentary-influenced. this morning as i was running late and applying my mascara while sitting in the back of the bus, i found myself reminiscing through the many bus adventures i have had while living here in utah. i want to share the by far most funny and awkward bus moment ever.

when i 1st moved to taylorsville i didnt have a car. it was back in new mexico getting the engine re-built. so i rode the bus everyday up redwood road to my job. Being the friendly out going girl that i am i talked and chitsy-chatted with the other peeps at the bus stops. i was eager to make friends having just moved to the area. there was this girl named connie who i met at the bus stop on redwood road and 5600south. she was from missouri and she was working as a pet groomer at petco. she was nice and friendly i thought "sweet, i am making friends!". so we exchanged numbers thinking we could hang out and i could have a social life again.

she texted me all the time. i wasnt too quick to text her back. i got busy and at that point i was always in provo where i had my token byu friends. i felt bad because she always wanted to do stuff and i never really made plans with her.

months went buy with the texting and a few sightings on the bus. christmas was coming and the temple square lights were up. my roommate and i and some friends made plans to have our own lil family home evening and go up to the square to see the twinkle lights. connie sent me a text that day and i felt guilty for never hanging out with her, so i invited her. she was all excited and my roommate was very unenthusiastic that i had given my whereabouts to a bus stop stranger.

connie shows up and walks in. she looks at our jesus art work on the walls and says "are you mormon?", and i said "yes". and she shook her head and looked very stressed. " you guys realize i used to be mormon, up until june?". she says. "no i didnt, but calm down i am not gonna preach at you we are just gonna go look at lights". she simmered down a bit. then liz and our friend steven showed up. i was excited to see steven because it had been 2 years since our last encounter. he was fresh home from his mission. this seemed to distress connie even more, she then says "you guys dont understand, my whole life style is against mormonism." i couldnt figure out why she was wigging out. i was thinking "did this girl used to have a drug problem or something?" it didnt even cross my mind that she could be a lesbian or bisexual. i was thinking crack whore or something. it was around this time that my friends who pointed this all out to me afterwards, began to notice her rainbow necklace, earrings and bracelet, and pin on her bag. i was oblivious. she was beginning to get very uneasy. she then said "hey i'll meet ya there. just text me where you park." she got in her car and drove away even though she said she would follow us and we werent in liz's car yet.

it took me a few minutes to put 2 and 2 together. i had brought home a lesbian who was trying to "hang out" with me. i had no idea. didnt even cross my mind. Man alive did my friends think it was funny. i never heard from her again, not once since she drove away in haste that night. to this day everyone loves to tease me about connie and the awkwardness. i hope where ever she is in the world she is happy and less weirded-out than she was that night. when the day is done it boosts the self esteem a bit, that connie and then a week later a guy from pakistan wanted to date me, all from saying hello to a stranger on the bus.