BusTalk

[Mr. Linsky]

I keep saying that I’ve told my last story because I can’t think of any more but then, as usual, another one pops into my mind.

I was working a day shift on a run with no scheduled PM relief driver which meant that I had to return the bus to Green Line’s Rockaway Boulevard garage.

It was about 3 PM when I finished my final readings and turned in the cash upstairs and was heading for the bus stop in front of the building to make my way home (for whatever the reason, I didn’t have my car that day) when one of the other driver’s who knew of my car problem asked me if I needed a ride.

The guys name was Eddie Flood and he happened to live in Richmond Hill not far from me so I took him up on his offer.

He did ask me if I would mind if he stopped off on Jamaica Avenue for a minute to pay his electric bill to which I said "no problem" (little did I know what a problem it would turn out to be!).

We headed up the Van Wyck and exited at Jamaica Avenue heading east to about a block or so before Sutphin Boulevard where the Con Edison Service Center office was on the south side of the street.

There was no parking space available and Eddie asked me if I would mind circling the block a couple of times to which I again said "no problem"!

I get to the next corner and make the right turn to head down to Archer Avenue and suddenly out of nowhere this policeman appears in the middle of the street waving frantically for me to stop and as I did he rips open the right front door and gets in and yells “after them” pointing down the street to two men running with liquor bottles dropping to the pavement from under their coats.

Now I have to explain something before I go further; Eddie was so proud of his car which he had just bought used (like from a little old lady in Pasadena) in perfect shape – it was a 1954 two tone Plymouth with standard shift and it was the standard shift that almost did me in!

I knew how to drive stick but I was used to automatics and when the cop got in the car and started ranting and raving I got so nervous that I stalled out the engine (my left foot was actually shaking).

Anyway, I said to him "don’t get excited – we’ll catch them" and I managed to get started and off we went down to Archer by which time we could see these guys running into the LIRR tunnel on the next corner.

I want you to know that I took that right onto Archer on two wheels blowing my horn without even looking to see if anything was coming!

It was at this point that the officer took out his gun and had it ready to fire out of the side window.

For whatever the reason, he made me stop at the entrance to the tunnel and he got out to run after them on foot.

Well, let me tell you that I wasn’t about to hang around that scene and immediately headed back up to Jamaica Avenue wondering if I should tell Eddie what happened – but I didn’t have to!

As I reached the front of the office a bunch of people including Eddie were waiting to find out what did happen!

I read in the next day’s Long Island Press that two men were arrested for holding up a liquor store next door to the Edison office so I guess the cop did catch them.

Remind me never to drive a 54 Plymouth again!

Mr. Linsky – Green Bus Lines, Inc., Jamaica, NY