I CAME TO WORK IN A FIRE TRUCK

Okay. First things first.

I live right up the street from a fire station.

I have taken the same route to my bus/train every morning for a year. I always pass the fire station. My bus stop is right after it, and when I am feeling industrious and want to walk the entire way to the train station...I pass it then, too. Twice a day. Back and forth. 10 times per week. A bit over five hundred and twenty times so far.

These firemen have obviously seen my pattern.

Apparently, one fireman in particular, Melvin, has been particularly observant. After a year of "hello, how are you?'s"... he asked for my number this most recent Monday morning. He said that he saw me every morning and I seemed "mad cool." He asked about my schedule and when would be a good time to call. I told him that I worked 9-5 and had classes on Monday and Wednesday. I predicted he would call on Thursday (last night) and he did (good points for him there). I missed the call - I didn't have my phone with me and I wouldn't have answered anyway because I was watching the BLUE MAN GROUP (so fun; an awesome hook-up from my friend Jen).

On my way to work this morning, I saw Melvin. I was running late, but I couldn't just walk by after not taking his call, so I said: "Hi - I got your call, but I was, etc. etc." We chatted for a bit, and my bus barrels by. CRAP.

"That's your bus!"
"Yes! I need to catch it! Call me later!"

I run off (embarrassed that he is probably watching me take off running/thinking of my wobbly buns jiggling about and how it's a good thing I am wearing tight jeans to hold some of that together) - miss the bus. So, I run to the next stop. Miss it there, too. I consign myself to walking to the train station even though that will make me later than I already am.

Then.

I hear a piercing WAAAAAH, WAAAAAAH behind me. What? Then, a random fireman running after me. "Wait up, wait up!"

I turn around and this fireman (not THE fireman, an older one) says: "We felt really bad that Melvin made you miss your bus, so we want to give you a ride." He opens the front door, I climb in. He climbs in the back and I say hello to my two new chaperones. Are you freaking kidding me?! I'm in the fire truck easily gliding through traffic since everyone gets out of the way.

"Do you work downtown? Is Lechmere or Sullivan (two different train lines) better?"
"Oh, its okay, you can just drop me at Sullivan. I catch the train to Chinatown."
"Okay. Melvin is the happiest guy at the station. You'll have a lot of fun with him."

We get to Sullivan Square station, and I say - "Oh, I can just get out here." We had made it to the passenger drop-off curb, so we were close. The dapper fire chaps reply with "No, we can go in there with this thing."

So, they drive me right up to the train station door. The place where only transportation vehicles can go. The place where you get screamed at and ticketed if you even try to turn around in. Everyone is staring. I get out (after being charmingly teased) and our little affair ends with a loud and emphatic yell from the fire truck:

"SEE YOU LATER, CHIEF!!"