Daughter Lise found Haywood Transit and signed me up. It is a service for seniors who need rides. We assumed it was for getting to and from doctor’s appointments, but the woman said, “You can go out to lunch if you want to! Meet a friend and go to the movies!”

A ride in Haywood County costs $3 one way. It’s $6 to Sylva or Asheville. I must call two days ahead for an in-county ride and three for a neighboring county. I had an appointment, made a year ago, with the oncologist in Asheville. David would need sleep after closing at work, and Lise would be packing to go back to Denmark. I booked the ride ahead of time and was ready at 9 am when the bus pulled into our driveway.

When the nurse escorted me to the examining room, I told her it was my first time to come by bus and that my daughter took a photo, just as I had always done for her on the first day of school. She told the PA, who also shared it with the doctor. I whipped out my phone and showed them. They laughed heartily and shared my amusement.

I walked outside, called the transit office, and was told the bus would be back for me in just a few minutes. The other woman who had ridden in with me wouldn’t be ready for another hour and a half, so the driver took me straight home and went back for her. This adventure was great fun. The bus seats were higher than a car, and the windows were huge. It was a good thing I was required to use a seat belt, because I might have slipped off the smooth seat when going around a curve.