Ohps!

Not sure if I have made this clear before but the number of the bus I arrive on and the number of the bus I leave on from my place of work are the same, just they have different final destinations.

They leave from opposite corners of the bright white bus station.

People sometimes get confused, wait at the wrong stop for the direction they want to travel, spot their error when they see the destination written on the front of the bus and troop off to the other end of the bus station.

So when I am waiting for the bus home and someone asks me is this the stop for the bus number I ask them for the end destination to make sure the answer I give is correct in spirit and not just the basic fact.

Except the other day I was a bit tired I guess and not thinking quite so clearly and when asked the question by an elderly lady , does the ? stop here I did not ask the clarifying question and absent-mindedly just said yes.  

Bus arrives I get on and the lady sits next to me and off we go...two stops before the "littering incident" stop she says "excuse me, is this bus going to?"  Oh no it is not! We are going in the opposite direction!

I advise she stays on two more stops were the return stop is directly across the road from the one she will be getting off, and it has seats.  I tell her when and point to the correct stop and ruefully accept her thanks feeling guilty for not checking and a stern reminder to myself not to make that ohps again.