One in a Million...

Question: Which 1980’s hit would cause a busload of passengers (okay like 80%) to break out in song? Singing, snapping fingers (did you know people still did THAT??), rocking their heads from side to side, a few of them even had their eyes closed (females of course). Did you guess?

Answer: “One in a Million You” by Larry Graham! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxCBu45HgjE

Picture this. It’s a busy week day. Traffic is crawling as it is approaching lunch time. Passengers are minding their own businesses, looking through the windows, chatting or texting on cell phones or engaging in light chatter with the person next to them while enjoying the cool comforts of the a/c on Big Yellow (my endearing term for the JUTC buses).

Suddenly we hear …“Love had played its games on me so long, I started to believe I'd never find anyone…”

Before long a couple of the females start to sing along.

“…And oh, what a revelation to seeeee
Someone was saying "I love you" to meeeeeeee”

The young lady beside me, who has a good singing voice, is belting out the tune with Larry (hmmm, future singer? Rising Stars, anyone?). She softly taps her fingers on the seat in front of her.

“Driver, tun up di radio, tun it up! A good tune dat” a portly woman requests.

“A one in a million

chance of a lifetime…”

Wait a minute, there is a booming baritone voice behind me…a man singing on the bus? There is another one!! Aha! A man over to my left in the green shirt and matching tie seems to be singing…I see his lips are moving slightly. Perhaps he does not have such a good singing voice and does not want to embarrass himself in public by singing aloud since we adults can be rather unkind at times. But then again, he could be mumbling about all these morons in the bus singing and swaying as if they are at an 80’s concert or watching Solid Gold or something from that era….

I, on the other hand, am waiting for others to jump out in the passage like a flash mob or something exciting like that…okay, who will start dancing up and down the aisle??!!! You know like the JG Wentworth opera-like Need Cash Now commercial!!!! I wait and wait...Nothing??!!

Basically, it turns out that it is just a set of passengers enjoying a phenomenal hit. What can I say?

Just as “One in a Million” finishes and Abba’s “I Believe in Angels” begins to play:

“Good marning passengers”…

“Eh-hem, GOOD MARNING PASSENGERS, ladies and gentlemen” – it is a “youngster” dressed in a khaki uniform. He is seated two rows up and is trying to get the singing passengers to quiet down as he has something to say…

“I would like to ask for some assistance to help me to go to school. I don’t have anyone to give me anything as my mather has five of us and my father was killed by gunmen. They kicked off the door to our house and shat him up seven times and he did died…”

“Oh my” I said to myself. That is absolutely terrible!!! This poor boy!

“My mather does not have it to give me lunch money. I went to PRS to meet a woman who promised me lunch money but when I gat dere she was not dere. I go to school in Papine so I have to take another bus. It is hard far me to concentrate when I am hungry. I want to make my life better and help my mather”

“That’s it, I better look for $20 for this poor guy” I thought to myself.

“Please any money you can give me $50, $20 or even $5 will be appreciated. Thanks. I going to walk down di aisle and you can give me whatever you have. Thank you. I don’t have anybody to help me. Please help me…”

Just as I was about to look in my purse for $20, the singer beside me said “Same story every day! He come on all the buses. I work downtown and he come into the store and beg same way…”

“A true, me hear dat story deh from him already!” said another woman seated in front of me who hisses her teeth and looks through the window.

“So a one ginnal, den!” said a man behind.

What?!!!! This “kid” is a “con-artist”??? I can’t believe it!!... until…he actually starts to walk down the aisle towards us. Wait a minute…this “youngster” looks a “little old”… is that a hint of a moustache? Day old stubble? He is kind of short and thick and some students do mature more than others but THIS one looks a little “TOO MATURE”.

He walks down the passage and some older folks hand him money, a $100 note in one instance, $50 and some gave $10 or $20 coins.

“Den whey u school bag deh? Whey you school book dem” inquires a mature woman in a colorful head scarf.

Good question! I wonder why he doesn’t have a school bag or wear a tie, epaulet or school crest. Anybody can buy khakis but a school is identified by its tie, crest or epaulet. I am thinking he might be a trickster!

“I ‘ave a problem with my foot as you can see my shoes are mashing up and when I carry di heavy bag it hurt mi back and foot so I leave my books at school” was his reply.

Wow, an answer for every question…I wonder how long he has been at this? His skills are certainly honed…and to think, Ellie almost fell victim to his “scam”! ALAS