The cost of a Subway sandwich

Holding an Indian passport brings along with it a lot of fuss, especially if one intends to travel to the West. I had a travel coming up to Europe and UK soon and had to apply for both the visas separately. While I did have my Schengen visa with me, this was my second trip to New York from State College to get my British visa. I was already very irritated at the whole process and towards the end of the day when everything was done and I managed to catch the last bus back home, I felt a sense of relief.

It will be worth dedicating a few lines to this last bus that I boarded. The service is provided by Shun Feng Inc, I had booked my ticket from GotoBus.com and the date of my travel was 20^th Sep 2017. Everything was fine during the first half of my travel. Once we had drove past Bloomsburg, I was feeling closer home. The thought of reaching home and sipping in some hot milk (with saffron, honey) while my feet was soaked in warm water calmed me down immediately. It really had been a long day in a longer week.

The bus stopped at a place called Miffinville. There was some announcement in Chinese but I did not ask for an interpretation. I had travelled by this bus before and knew that they stopped here for sometime. Hungry that I was, I decided to deboard the bus and use the restroom and grab something to eat from the Subway. Once I reached the ladies restroom, a co-passenger had already entered the loo. As far as my memory had it, I knew that this restroom could hold multiple users. So I grabbed the door and tried to get in. The door seemed locked from inside. I had no option but to wait for her to exit from that door. I waited long enough and when she did finally come out, she looked a little confused to see me waiting outside. She was seated in front of me in the bus and we had exchanged a few pleasantries in the form of smiles earlier. She said something to me again in Chinese (sometimes I pass off as Chinese, sometimes Spanish and I never understood why) which I guessed was something like, one has to push the door harder or something. I smiled and she left.

As I happen to reach the Subway counter, the staff there was already attending an old man ahead of me and asked me to wait. Very well, I thought and grabbed a few chips from the rack. When my turn came in some minutes later, I ordered for a regular veggie pattie and a coke. This is where it gets interesting. After I grab my sandwich, I exit the doorway to board in the bus and I realize that I don't see any vehicle remotely resembling a bus! The first thought that came to my mind was that maybe I had missed the spot where it was parked. I look around and see nothing in sight. Seeing me confused, a man who was entering the Subway asked what was wrong. It was the first time I realized as I was talking to him, that the bus must have left without me. He chuckled and said “Oh, that will be a nightmare”. I agreed, but in my mind I was already thinking of how to go about dealing with this situation.

I went inside the building and told the Subway man what had happened. He seemed unfettered as if to suggest a subtle “So?”. Almost to get him out of that indifferent state, I offered the solution myself and asked if they have a phone that I can use. Now, it so happens that all of my luggage, including my laptop, mobiles and all the stuffs (including a Korean beauty treatment kit I was keen on experimenting) that I had bought from New York were left in the bus. I only had a small sling with me that included my bus passes and my debit cards. Frankly, I do not even know why I had asked for a phone. I remember none of my friends number and the only number I remember is my own and my home back in India. Both useless. I was pointed to another stall, Burger King and there were a few guys there who happen to show some concern about this whole incident. I tried calling my own number from somebody's mobile hoping that someone in the bus would notice. Did not happen! I called some of my friends in State College via somebody's Facebook messenger application but not a single friend happen to receive the call. In the end, I dropped them a text or two asking them to get back to me in this man's Facebook account. We also tried calling the GotoBus services but to no avail. I knew that was it. It was around 10 pm at night and I was an hour and a half away from home. There was nothing that could be done that night and any attempts to travel should be done the next morning. I was in the middle of nowhere stranded, cold and tired but nowhere close to worried. I asked if there was an Inn nearby where I could put up that night. Thankfully, there was. I walked towards the Inn, thanked those guys for the help and decided to check in the hotel. When I reached the hotel, I asked the receptionist if I could use the internet. She told me that I could but only after I check in the hotel. I did that and went on to use a 1990s computer placed in the hall. The first thing that I looked up was my location from the Hotel address – just for the sake of it. After Googling about ways to reach State College the next day, I was suddenly reminded that my stuffs are all in the bus. (How could the driver not notice a pile of bags in an empty passenger seat is really out of my understanding and especially the aforementioned girl right in front of me with whom I had made some association earlier, not show slightest amount of interference at my disappearance from the bus is something I cannot understand till date!). I had to find a way to reach my friends in State College and ask them to collect my luggage. Frankly, I had lost all my faith in the bus operators.

My Facebook account has remained deactivated for very long. I tried to log in just hoping that I remember my password and viola! It did work. (My gmail uses a double security measure and when I try to login from unknown device, it will send me a code in my mobile number. So of course, that was useless then). I then sent off messages this time from my own account to three friends back in State College. When the first one responded, I asked him for a contact number. It was simpler from that point onwards. I asked one of my friends to collect my luggage from the bus when it reaches State college, which he later told me he did by simply walking inside the bus and grabbing my stuffs from the seat I had specified. No one noticed or cared that!

I entered my hotel room and called up friends in State college. Some of my friends had already called up Handy Delivery taxi services and asked how much would it cost to fetch someone stranded in Miffinville; 500$ was the estimate. Anyhow, since I would be able to best specify my location, I decided to call the Handy Delivery services myself. As soon as I explained the situation, the man on the other side of the phone was “I just received a call about a pickup from Miffinville, Are you the one who is left there on this dark night?”. I laughed and agreed that it was me and that I would give him a call next day if I find absolute no way to reach State College.

So far I had gathered a few ways of getting back home (This whole incident occurred before I owned a car and had a license to drive in the US):

1. Wait for the same bus that MAY stop at the same place after 24 hours.

2. Board another megabus from a Pilot stop nearby where I MAY be allowed to board.

3. Travel through a series of amtraks, bus and train journey next day – included a lot of risk with no Google maps to help me.

4. Go to the nearest bus stop in Bloomsburg and check out options

5. Book a taxi to come back home. 

My plan of action!

When I woke up the next day, I had meticulously ruled out the first three options for each had their own non feasibilities associated with it. The fourth option seemed the most plausible but before that, I had to call Handy Delivery like I had told them I would. It was around 7 am that morning and I told them my situation. Probably a different guy received the call and I asked for an estimate for this situation. He gave the same amount 400-500$ since this pickup would mean that they send a Taxi to Miffinville from State College and bring me back as they did not have a branch there. Since I did not want to wake up my other friends that early morning, I decided to ask the same guy what he thinks is the best option to be back since I could not make contact with anyone else that time. What he said falteringly still makes me smile till date. “Book an Uber”, he said.

I could not book an Uber since I did not have my phone with me. Just for the sake of it, I decided to stroll around and see if there is anything at all nearby that could give me pointers. A few minutes later as I was just lingering on the roadway, a police car stopped behind me. He asked me where I wanted to go, I explained him the situation briefly. He humored my by saying that State College is far and I could not reach there by walking if I intended to do that. Provided me a few alternatives – all of which I had already explored and eliminated. He also warned me that I was not allowed to walk on the freeway like that. I smiled and nodded. Just before he drove off, he flirtatiously smiled and said “By the way, State college is that way” and pointed to the opposite right angled way from where I currently was standing. Both laughed.

I came back to hotel and grabbed some breakfast. The hotel also arranged for a shuttle to reach me to Bloomsburg bus stop. I got down near a Unimart in Bloomsburg and walked in. The store was run by two Pakistani brothers, one of them was named Asif. I explained to him the whole situation and told him that I needed a bus that would reach be to Allenwood, Williamsport and some names in between which I cannot recall now. He paused and asked me where I actually wanted to go. I told him that I need to reach State College but since I want to reach by daytime, I have to make break journeys to reach there. “But there is a direct bus to State College in three hours”, he said. I ignored what he said and went on explaining. “Yes, but I believe the other bus..., oh wait! Did you say State College!” He smiled and said that he could arrange the ticket for me. I thanked him and we chatted for sometime. Then it dawned on me that I should call my friends in State College and let them know of the whole development.

I had three hours to pass so I decided to visit Downtown area. I really needed to get some sunglasses since the glare from the sun was feeling too much to take. I explored around a few places and decided to rest in a park in front of a courthouse. After a while, an old man came up to me and asked if he could sit beside me. Of course he could. We then chatted along – me how I was lost, what I was doing, He – his old days in the army, horses, farms and his knee replacement operation next day. A charming old man, Jim was his name.

After what seemed like an hour or so, we parted ways and I then went on to visit the Bloomsburg University. I entered Columbia hall but could not get through the second gate which asked for card access. I needed to enter the hall so that I could wash my face and get a drink of water. It had been really hot that morning. Soon a sweet looking girl walked towards the hall. I approached her and told her that I needed to enter the hall but I do not have a card and if she could use hers to let me in. Even before I could complete the sentence, she let me in and I later realized that there was probably some religious programme going on there. I loitered around the library inside the hall and when I decided to go back, I was hoping I do not have to swap any card again which would entail asking another favour. It was not required since at the apt moment a man entered from outside and held the door for me. I thanked him and he replied by saying “May you incorporate the lesson you learnt today and may God be with you”. I bowed to him and walked towards the bus stop to catch my bus.

It went on pretty uneventful after that. The bus stopped at Williamsport where I stumbled upon a nice dress shop and bought a few stuffs for myself. On my way back from Williamsport to State College, there was a fire in some townhouse and our bus got delayed for half an hour or so. These were all trivialities now as I pulled down the shade and smiled away when reminiscing the happenings of the previous night.

That was the cost of a Subway sandwich.