Wild Card

Here's the deal: Students can't work, so they get a break / reward for bettering themselves through education in the form of a government issued ID card that gets them on the bus for half off. Teachers, who work but earn almost nothing (me) labouring tirelessly in the name of education are also entitled to the same card, same discount. Bus drivers hate this. And they make sure you know it. I don't know exactly why, but I have a few theories.

1) They think you are a student, thus, you are admitting that you are in NEED of an education, or in other words, you're dumb. Because you're dumb, the bus driver can't miss an opportunity to snicker or out and out laugh at you for your stupidity.

What an idiot! Pfft...Had to go and ask someone to teach her! What a sad sack of stupid! Sure glad I got me some smarts natural like, and didn't have to go looking for it!

2) They think you paid someone to issue you a card, and don't really study or teach and just want a discount on the bus. (this is especially infuriating to bus drivers when it's a Gringo, because everyone knows they're loaded.....and cheap)

Look at this....It's not enough that she comes here showing off all her money, now she wants to go taking it right from my pockets....Gringos!

3) They believe you to be a teacher (you get on their bus everyday at the same time, carrying books, wearing a flash drive around your neck.... in a uniform) but are labouring under the misinformation that teachers earn a good living. Lie.

Here we go again. Great paying job and she still wants a freakin' discount on the bus! Like she can't afford 6 pesos?....sheesh!

Whatever the case is, it sucks. It's at the least: uncomfortable. At the most: dangerous.
Let me paint you a picture. I had gotten on the bus at our usual stop, while Beth had walked on ahead a few minutes earlier to grab a coffee. Heavy school bag, bus fare, bus pass and hot coffee in hand, she gets on and flashes her card. Bus driver reaches out to take her fare, sees her bus pass and before she can pay,  looks away with an 'Oh come on...do you believe this crap?' sneer on his face. She is left standing there beside him as he slams the bus into gear and hits the gas, sending her into the pole beside her and splashing hot coffee onto her own outstretched hand which still holds her bus fare. Dangerous.

Maybe I get a sneer, maybe I get a comment, maybe I get thrown into the isle ass over teakettle, or maybe he just says buenos dias back to me, and accepts my discounted fare. It's a wildcard, but whatever the case, I'm getting a 50% discount on the bus because I deserve it, and couldn't do my job without it.