Bus stories 4 – The Scent of Coffee
- lisaluger
- Aug 7, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 26, 2023
-From Medellin to Cali, Colombia, January 1988-.
I was on the bus from Medellin to Cali, looking forward to seeing my friends again. As I had managed to get a window seat, I could be sure to enjoy the spectacular view of the mountains and valleys and the coffee-growing areas of Colombia during the journey without being disturbed. The trip was to take 14 hours. The bus was packed, and it was noon and very hot. I was due to arrive in Cali at 2 am, and my friends would be waiting for me at the bus station. I was full of anticipation.
Shortly after our departure, before we left the city behind, a young man got on and sat in the last free seat behind me. His red face could have been from the midday heat if it hadn’t been for the waft of liquor coming toward me. Now, that was a less uplifting prospect for the next 14 hours. I fervently hoped he would fall into hours of deep sleep and sleep it off.
But that was not the case.
After half an hour of driving through a beautiful but winding landscape, he felt sick. Since he had a window seat, he wanted to throw up out the window. Unfortunately, he realised too late that the window was closed. He banged his head against the glass, and his stomach contents spilt onto the floor. I was just able to snatch my backpack off the floor and bring it to safety on my lap.
Within a few minutes, an infernal stench of vomit spread throughout the bus, and several passengers began to vomit. The conductor rushed over and handed out plastic bags, but they didn’t last long.
My pregnant seatmate also started to gag, and I had to do something. Luckily, I always have a bottle of China oil for emergencies. So I dripped some on paper handkerchiefs and passed them to my nearest neighbours. I hoped the smell of peppermint in their noses could keep the gag reflex at bay.
When we stopped in a small village, I asked the conductor to wash away the worst of the vomit with a bucket of water. He nodded in agreement, went into the small grocery shop and returned with a pound of coffee. And the journey continued without any further action. Coffee?
I shot angry glances at the selfish conductor! Couldn’t he understand what a miserable situation we passengers were in?! And he was only thinking of his next cup of coffee after the journey. What an inhuman being!
While I was still swearing at the conductor in my mind, he opened the coffee packet and scattered all the ground coffee along the bus aisle. Immediately, the pleasant smell of coffee hit our nostrils and displaced the stench of vomit. We were saved, and I was ashamed!
As quietly as I had cursed the conductor in my mind before, I made amends to him now. He had the experience of dealing with such mishaps on his side, and before I got all know-it-all, I should learn to wait and develop more trust in the problem-solving skills of the locals.
The culprit had long since fallen asleep and was sleeping it off. He had not noticed any of this. (LL)
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