A middle-aged woman boards my 4 and sits up front, watching me for a while. She seems to be appraising something she hasn't seen before. Finally, she says,
"Look at you, you little cutie. You have no business driving this bus!" She breaks down laughing. "What are you doing here?"
"Actually, I love this job! I love driving buses!"
Sputtering: "what??"
"It's all true! We're doing this only for the sheer enjoyment of it all!"
She looks around with new eyes. "What?" Passengers who know me look on, grinning.
I want to affirm the sentiment by saying "strictly volunteer!" but I hesitate. I don't want her to think my earlier statements were sarcastic. Instead I simply look over and give her a big smile.