[In the novel Let the Right One In, Oskar goes by bus to visit his father. Erik lives a good distance away to the northeast. This short story explores Oskar's trip on that Saturday morning not from his viewpoint but rather from the viewpoint of another of the bus riders. This story was first posted in November 2011 on the forum "We, the Infected" by me, gkmoberg1. I hope you enjoy this.]
Saturday, late morning, 7 November 1981.
Spillersboda, Sweden
[ Citation: Lindqvist, John Ajvide; Ebba Segerberg (2008-10-28). Let the Right One In: A Novel (p. 115-116). St. Martin's Griffin. Kindle Edition. ] All spoken lines, as shown in italics, are directly from the novel.]
Hi! The bus to Rådmansö arrives right on time. I give mom a hug and climb up. I live here in Spillersboda, and today I'm going off to visit my best friend. She lives in Södersvik, which is nearby. We'll get to play and I've brought things for staying overnight. It was her birthday this last week and so we get to have a party for her! We'll be best friends forever. I know it.
I walk back into the bus a few rows and take a seat. It's a good, clear day for this time of year. I have my bag with me and I wave good-bye to my mom before the bus pulls away. "Bye sweetie! Tell Lisbeth 'Happy Birthday' for me!" she calls to me. "Bye mom!" I'll miss mom and she'll miss me. But I'll be home tomorrow afternoon. She said we can make a vegetable soup - yum! - for dinner.
There are not too many passengers today. Some men and woman. And a boy. Everyone is dressed for the cold but the bus is pretty warm.
I notice the boy. Well, I do because he keeps looking at me. He's a few rows away. Whenever I look at him, he looks away. Shy? But I find that if I look ahead but concentrate on what is at the edge of my eye, then I can see he is looking at me. This is fun. I have no idea who he is. I don't know him from school.
After a while I get bored of the book I brought with me and look back at him. He's in a daze staring out the window. Sometimes he seems about to fall asleep. At another glanced moment I see he looks very concerned. Frightened? I wonder what he is thinking of. His face is almost white - as if very worried about something. Must be bad.
He's got a little plastic red figure in his hand, dancing it across the bus' windowsill. Cute. I bet we could be friends.
The bus stops finally at Södersvik. The boy is getting off here too! He is up and passed me before I get my things together. I am behind him as we wait for a woman who is ahead of us to get off first. I could swipe at his blond hair, I'm so close behind him. We're the same height. I bet he wouldn't like that though, some unknown girl touching his hair.
Then he goes down the steps and onto the curb. He walks up to a man and they hug. Must be his dad? Yes.
"Well hey there." says the man. Then "Your trip go OK?"
They like each other. I watch as they go off towards towards the Södersvik store. I follow for only as long as our paths are the same. Lisbeth lives to the right. They keep going straight.
I watch as the boy and his dad walk away. I wonder if I will ever see him again. Maybe in school? Funny how people come in and out of life. You never know.