...Dontcha Be A Grumpy

Be optimistic, dontcha be a grumpy, when the road is bumpy, just smile, smile, SMILE and be happy...This is the song I want to sing whenever I see a particular fellow student of mine. My first encounter with him was a few weeks ago on the bus. We got on at the same stop near UAS. When he got on he accidentally bumped into a lady. He turned to her and politely apologized. I thought to myself that was very nice because not everyone would do so. He seemed like a nice guy. He then sat down and I sat in the seat behind him. After being on the bus no more than 2 or 3 minutes I went to cross my legs and inadvertently bumped the back of his seat. Well, he proceeded to lean forward and turn his head and give me a crusty look. I mouthed, because he was wearing headphones, the words "I’m sorry," but apparently that was insufficient. He turned his head back and faced forward for a moment and then turned back around and gave me the same look. After being given a crusty look for what seemed forever I finally gestured to him in a way that said, "What?!" He then proceeded to turn back around, mutter under his breath, grab all his stuff, and move to a seat further forward. I thought to myself that the whole thing seemed extremely weird. I couldn’t fathom someone acting so angry over something so small and after all I tried to apologize. However, it got worse. For the remainder of the ride he continued to turn and stare me down. It wasn’t a glance or even just a dirty look. It was a look of attempted intimidation. The whole expereince was bizarre. I didn’t even know how to process the whole thing. Luckily my bus ride wasn’t very long and I was able to escape his bitterness, but it still puzzles me. At first I thought maybe he was having a bad day, but I have come to find out that isn’t the case. I see him on campus often and it is more the norm than the exception in his interactions with people. I also discussed it with another fellow student and friend and she has begun watching him as well and confirms that she has seen many encounters where he has acted the same way to others. A part of me wants to ask him what makes him so unhappy. This particular curiosity continues to plague and sadden me.