The Bus Stop

Finding a friend out of odd circumstances

This was going to be great, thought Samantha as she closed her shiny, new briefcase, grabbed her suit jacket and headed out to the car. Working downtown was bound to be a blast. She'd feel like a real professional, and have business lunches at snazzy, little cafes and everything. It had to be better than her last job, which was nothing more than a glorified receptionist. This time she'd be at a real corporate place, and maybe someone would listen to her ideas for once.

She pulled into the park-n-ride lot and parked. Taking the bus would be a new experience, too. But she was looking forward to it; it was a great chance to catch up on her newspaper reading. And maybe she'd meet some other nice, young professionals, who could give her some tips. The bus arrived and she made her way through the line and found an empty seat.

She looked around with what she hoped was a friendly smile on her face, but no one was really paying attention. Most had iPods or newspapers, and some were taking naps. The bus pulled up to the second and last stop before downtown and a couple more people came on. The first was a pretty, young woman with short, dramatically dark hair cut in a sophisticated bob. On her arm were three various-sized designer bags. Her coral-colored lipstick matched one of them as well as her shoes and nails. Her dress-suit looked expensive. Sam quickly slid her briefcase over to the side of her seat to make room, but the girl didn't even spare a glance before passing by towards a seat further back.

The second was an older African-American fellow, who looked a bit down on his luck. His blazer was worn and frayed at the hem as were the accompanying blue jeans. His riotous, white curls were stringy-looking as he wiped his forehead with an old blue bandana. His face was deeply lined and tired-looking. Sam quietly tried to take up as much space as possible while studiously looking out the dingy window. She wished she hadn't moved her briefcase out of the seat now.

"Excuse me miss," he tried to get her attention, "would you mind..."

Reluctantly, she nodded her head without making eye contacts and slid as far towards the window as she could. She folded her arms and continued looking out the window. Tomorrow she would definitely bring her own iPod to avoid uncomfortable scenes like this. It seemed like hours later the bus finally pulled into the downtown stop, where everyone got off and she made her way to the tall, polished building where she would begin her new career.

Her work day was everything she could have hoped for. She loved her new office space and her co-workers seemed alright, if a bit cool. Her boss took her out to a perfect little sandwich shop for a get-to-know-you  lunch. And by the end of the day she had a prospective client briefing scheduled for a call the following morning. It was early evening and as she finished typing up her notes, Sam glanced at her watch. Oh dear, she was going to be late for the bus if she didn't rush. She didn't want to miss it because it was the last one for another two hours.

She arrived at the bus stop, breathless, and just as the last couple of people were boarding. She reached into her pants pocket for her wallet and buss pass. Where was it? In confusion she quickly checked her other pocket and then her jacket pockets, but all to no avail. Then it suddenly dawned on her, that moment this morning when she had removed the wallet to her desk drawer so she could sit more comfortably. She stepped back and watched as the bus pulled away. Her feelings of annoyance slowly turning to resignation, she turned and made her way back to the office building.

When she arrived, she reached for her wallet again instinctively, to retrieve her security badge. Mentally chiding herself, she peered through the sunset-glazed glass doors, searching for a sign of habitation. But no one was to be seen. The security guard had left over an hour ago. Sighing, she wearily made her way back to the rickety bench at the bus stop.

What was she going to do now? Her roommate was out of town and none of her family lived in state. As the minutes ticked by, she began to grow more and more worried. She couldn't even waste some time at the coffee shop since all her cash was in her desk drawer. All she could do was sit here in the gathering gloom for the next two hours, watching as all the familiar daytime people left for home and the stranger-looking nighttime people arrived. Goodness, if she were mugged she wouldn't even have anything to offer to save her life. Sam shivered and pulled her jacket tighter. She heard a heavy, shuffling set of footsteps. A large, shadow loomed behind her and she felt her dread multiply. The presence hovered menacingly as seconds ticked by, but Sam didn't have the courage to look behind her. She held very, very still, not even breathing. Every muscle was tensed for flight. Then slowly the shadow and its footsteps began to move again, slightly to her right, then closer. Her frightened face turned up, wide-eyed to meet the threat as she inhaled a squeaky breath and prepared to scream.

A soft, low voice spoke, "are you ok, miss?"

It was a familiar voice, and a familiar face she suddenly realized with great relief. The man on the bus, the one who'd shared her seat this morning. She let out the breath she'd been holding, as relief coursed through her.

"You're here late tonight," he continued, treating her gently. He could see she'd been having a rough time of it, by the sheet-white look of her face. So he politely waited, giving her a moment to gather her wits.

"Y-yes.." she said almost in a whisper. She cleared her throat. "Yes, I missed the last bus because I left my wallet at the office. When I went back to get it, the office was all locked up."

"Oh dear," he replied, "so you have no way to get home?" His gentle brown eyes crinkled up in concern.

Trying to hold back a sudden, unexplainable desire to cry, she replied,

"No... No, I suppose I don't."

He held out a wrinkled hand, "Well, we can't have that. Here you go," he smiled.  In his hand was a single ticket, one of those kind you tear out of a booklet. She stared at it for a moment without comprehension. "Don't worry, I have another," he coaxed, waving the ticket towards her.

She reached out slowly, and as she took hold of the ticket she looked up into his smiling eyes. A warm feeling of comfort and companionship stole over her. It was like she was seeing him truly for the first time. Here was a gentle, hard-working man with a kind face and large, warm hands. He was sharing his meager belongings with her, simply because she needed the help. How could she possibly express her gratitude. But then the bus arrived, and amidst the flurry of exiting passengers they were separated.

She made her way to an empty seat, and as she slid in towards the window she saw him shuffle onboard. As he came down the aisle she smiled warmly and beckoned him towards her.

"Here, I saved you a seat."