Family (re)union – Part II: The wrath of Greyhound

So many folks have been asking me about meeting my sister and seeing my father again. I don’t want to have to tell the story too many times, so I’m just going to direct folks to my blog. They ought to be reading it anyway!

Before I went, I wasn’t really feeling any type of way. People asked if I was nervous or excited. I was neither. I just kind of wanted to go with the flow. I had never met the chick, you know, so it’s not like I had been living my life with this expectation that we would be best friends. I have my sister on my mom’s side who is 9 years younger than me, so I’ve mostly felt like an only child anyway. Right before we met I did get nervous though. Before I get too far ahead of myself, let me start from the beginning of this crazy trip. Starting with this post and then the next, Part III.

Friday: I had just come off of a hectic week full of events and school crap. I had to wait until Friday morning to do my laundry and it was necessary so I’d have stuff to pack. I woke up early on Fri and washed clothes. Soon as I got back, I had to pack. All packed up, I headed to the bus stop and VROOOOOOM… the bus whooshes passed me. It’s already after 12pm and I was trying to make a 2pm bus. I was headed to Albany, by the way, which was a 6hr bus ride. I finally get the next bus and try to book it to the Greyhound station. Hot and bothered, I make it there at around 1:20pm. Unfortunately, the electronic ticket kiosks were both down, so I had to stand in line. Thinking I have 40 min until the bus leaves, I wasn’t too peeved. That was until I realized that the lady at the counter was a trainee and short a few vital brain cells. The line moved painfully slow and by the time I got to the front of the line, it was 2pm.

Y’all, I was so frustrated by the time I got up to that counter that it was all I could do not to kirk out on that woman. As the minuted ticked off, all I could think of was how people would be waiting for me in Albany and I would have made everyone late for dinner. As it was, I was gonna get there at 8:30 if I got on the 2pm as planned. The trainee asked me where I was going and I was so peeved, my eyes were watering. So close to tears (tears of frustration) I tried to make the 2pm bus. She told me that it had left and so I settled for the 3pm bus. As I sat down, ticket in hand, I saw that my father had left a message. I called him back and he informed me that my sister and her family would not be able to make it to NY as planned. SHIT! I just bought this damn non-refundable ticket from a certified idiot and now the point of the trip is moot! My father said I should still come up and kick it with him and his girlfriend. Fine, not like I could have returned the ticked anyway.

As soon as I finish the convo with my father, I hear over the loudspeaker that the 1:30 and 2pm buses were late and would be in soon. So idiot ticket counter lady told me the 2pm had left but in reality it had never arrived. *SIGH* I get up and speak to 3 “customer service” people before I verify that the 2pm bus was late and still coming. I get a notation on my ticket saying I can get on the 2 and hop in the longest line ever. When the buses did come, everyone in front of me got on with the girl directly in front of me being the last one. Turned out that I had to wait for the 3pm bus after all. *SIGH*

I fucking hate Greyhound. I am positive that everyone who works at the Philly station is an idiot nincompoop.

Furthermore, I hate Greyhound because when I was en route from Ohio to Philly, instead of driving from Pittsburgh straight through PA to Philadelphia, the damned bus went to Baltimore then to Philly. More on that later, though.

Part III: Meine Familie