history: I was taking a trip where I had a ticket for a late bus back home but I was already ready to leave. There was an earlier bus which was supposed to be full. I still asked the driver of the earlier bus if there was any possibility of me boarding. Much to my delight I was able to board and get home much earlier than I was expecting.
current: A few weeks ago I was on a bus trip. I had a ticket back home for a late bus but I wanted to leave earlier. There was an earlier bus that was supposed to be full. I decided to take my chances and try to get that earlier bus. I asked the driver if there was any chance of getting on and to my surprise I was able to!
next: You really got lucky that day.