Road Directions...

A Japanese lady came to me at the bus stop, asking for directions.

JL: "Hello, can you tell me the buses that go to the bus-stop two stops down?"

Me: "Any bus here goes to the bus-stop two stops down. It's a straight road here."

JL: "No no. Can you tell me the buses that go two buses ago?"

Me: "Ermm... Bus 66 just passed by, and before that was Bus 852."

Exasperated, she took a seat near me, and took out a Japanese-English electronic dictionary. I watched her as she keyed in some japanese characters into the dictionary.

JL: "I ask you, what are the buses that go two buses ago?"

Me: "I'm sorry, I don't know."

JL: "You understand my question? I ask you, what are the buses that go two buses ago?"

I shook my head.

The Japanese lady smiled at me, and said, "I go ask my English teacher again." She then mumbled some Japanese words.

Me: "Where do you want to go?"

JL: "I want to go to Orchard Road."

Me: "Well, you can take Bus 174 there." And I pointed at Bus 174, which just pulled into the stop.

JL: "I know 3 buses go Orchard Road: Bus 77, Bus 171, and Bus 174."

Me: "Okay..."

JL: "I just want to ask you, what are the buses that go two buses ago?"

Me: "I'm sorry, I don't understand."

At this point she begins mumbling in incoherent Japanese again. My bus came, and I boarded it.

As the bus pulled away, I saw her asking another passer-by, presumably the same question.