I had the best on the bus again to day. I was going to work later than usual (which had something to do with working until 3:00 am the day before), when I poped out of the subway station at Hollywood and Highland. That area is packed with tourists, and today was no exception.

While waiting, I noticed a nice looking lady. She was looking at the bus sign, and checking her map. Back and forth, back and forth. After a while, I took pity on her and asked her where she was going. There are several buses that go through that area, and I often ride two of them. It turns out she and I needed to go on the same bus to get to her next stop. We started up a tentative conversation, and then the bus came, so we got on, and continued to talk.

I discovered she was a newly minted Major from the British Army, and helicopter pilot.  She had just finished up something like 9 months of school at Sandhurst, and had a bit of time on her hands. I failed to ask why she was in our neck of the words, LA not being noted for lying close to anything British, possibly because she was so fun to talk with. However, the best part was she was happily married.

I do like to talk to attractive women, a failing I suppose I’ll happily take to the grave, but I do not like to play the field, having found long ago I have no skill for it. Luckily, Claire was married herself, so there was none of that awkwardness. Somewhere in Britain there is a very happy doctor and heli pilot (her husband) as I found Claire to be smart, attractive, interesting, polite, and very well mannered. We talked about flying, having kids, life in the military, and all kinds of things. Really the ride was much too short.

When I got to the office where I was working, I was trying to tell the guys there about my experience. All I could come up with was that I met someone who was  knowledgeable about a topic of study I would gladly pay money to hear. That I got this this same lecture for free, and from a pretty woman, made it all that much the better.

I’ve been so busy with work I have had time to post, but I keep meeting rather interesting people on the bus. Tonight it was a younger man (probably in his early 30s) helping out a much older couple. You could tell from the casual way they were around each other that they were either good friends or family. I liked the way the older couple seemed to fix on the younger man, as if he was the center of their own little world. In return he was protective and thoughtful with them. Always careful to include them in his thoughts (they were traveling a new route), and comforting in the way he led.

It reminded me of on old book called “A Fire In The Belly” about masculinity and manhood. What I got from the book, besides a vague sense that it is okay to be masculine, is that women nuture, but men husband. Husbanding being the male version of nurturing.

It’s always nice to see men husband in public, either with children or the elderly.  It always gives me a sense that things are pretty decent in America if men can still behave well.