Mike (I think that was your name) you probably don't read Reddit but I'm going to thank you here anyway. Your simple act of kindness may have saved the lives of me and my girlfriend, or it may not have. At the very least you prevented us from having the worst day of our lives.
For those of you just tuning in, yesterday at 12:30am my girlfriend Amber and I had just left Summerfest in Milwaukee and walked several blocks away to our bus stop. We were heading back to our hotel when Mike picked us up in his bus on Milwaukee County Transit System. We're from a small town in Michigan and unfamilar with how the bus routes work. I'm sure you picked up on this right away, Mike. Anyway, unknown to us we were headed in the wrong direction on the last bus of the night.
I kept thinking we would loop south towards our hotel but it never happened. Finally at 1:15am or so I went up to talk to Mike since the bus was nearly empty. "Are you kidding me?" Mike questioned in a high pitch voice. It would have been funny except for the queasy feeling in my stomach. Mike proceeded to explain how we were NOT in fact going back to the hotel but to the end of his route which was on 35th and Fond de Luc. Come to find out, this is basically a really shitty part of town (the worst) by Mike's description. He suggested getting a taxi.
I frantically found and dialed three Taxi companies. Nobody would come meet us to pick us up. Mike explained that they won't come to that part of town because they get robbed all time. Almost everything shuts down at 9pm. Hell, I knew it was true when we went past a Walmart that was closed.
Mike rounded the last corner and said "Get out and sit on that bench, I'll come pick you up in my truck". Not seeing any other choice, we stepped out and sat on that bench in the dark, quite as church mice. I'm not sure if my girlfriend Amber knew I was scared to death like some little bitchy-boy, but I was. I sat there next to her, staring between the time on my cell phone and the battery that was in the red. I didn't even want to look around, ignorance is bliss.
A SUV rolled up and Mike honked his horn. We climbed in that truck, completely at his mercy and not knowing what would happen next really. Mike drove us past several prostitutes, drug dealers, and thugs. Pointing them all out and and telling us he couldn't leave us here. He drove us straight to the door of our hotel room.
Mike, you are the man! I handed you my last twenty dollars and wished I had a thousand more to give you. I'll pay it forward somehow. I love hearing stories on Reddit of outstanding displays of humanity and yours is right at the top in my book. Ridemcts.com had a place for us to submit how awesome you are and I hope that commendation makes it to you, sir. Thanks bus driver Mike.