The Bus on Olympic Boulevard
In a country called America; in the state of California; in the county of Los Angeles on Olympic Blvd., there sits parked an old VW bus. The VW bus sits on amidst other cars, trucks, and RV's. It's once shiny yellow body with white top has become dull; the paint chipped and falling off. The bus' tires wearily carry the frame of the bus. The tires themselves, also cracking and falling apart due to long use, no longer have the proud treads that once drove its' owners all over town. Instead, now, bald spots can be seen throughout each tire. Where there used to be two side-mirrors, now only one half-clings to the door of the bus. Moth-eaten curtains line the windows of the bus. The curtains are faded. Barely noticeable is the pattern of autumn leaves falling from the tree.
In the front of the bus sits the analogue car console. The radio console has a metal prong extending 1cm. This is used to turn the radio on and off. It also controls the volume. The radio has four flat smooth "buttons". Each button corresponds to a section of the radio dials. In front of the naked steering wheel is the primary console. A gauge reads 7/8 to the left. Another gauge reads 4/5 too much. Looking in the rear view mirror reveals white puffy clouds billowing out from behind.
Behind the two captains chairs are two rows of bench seats. The first row seats two. The third row seats three. The first row of seats houses opened and discarded wrappers of chips, pretzels, crackers, and cheese sticks; as well as banana peels, soda cans, milk cartons, and tuna salad kits. The third row has piles of clothes, two sheet blankets, pillows and afghans.
The trunk is filled up to two inches shy of the ceiling. The first layer has suitcases and plastic bags of pants, skirts, dresses, shirts, blouses, sweaters, jackets, shoes, purses, belts and hats. The second layer houses old domestic appliances; a mixer, a hand held vacuum cleaner, a juicer, pots & pans, a dual hot plate and a plant. The top layer holds an old nine iron, video tapes, CDs and a couple of DVDs. Next to the media can be found an old TV/VHS/DVD Combo.
Peeking through the two inches of window space a man and a woman stand behind the bus. The man is moving to bend down to open the hood of the car where the engine is stored. Upon seeing the billowing smoke he thinks again about opening the hood. He stands up, waving away puffs of smoke. His face is dejected as he turns to look at the woman next to him. Her face is the bearer of concern. Asking with her eyes; pleading, "Please, not now," She accepts his embrace as he says, "Well, at least we got this far."
As they step away from the VW bus and rows of other cars, trucks and RVs a building comes into view. The exterior paint has been on for over ten years. Shoe markings can be seen on the lower portion of the building. There men and women have passed the day wondering what is in their future.
As the couple look up to the rest of the old building a sign comes into view. The couple pauses as they read it. The woman begins to cry while the man trembles in place. Here is where they hope to piece their lives back together again.
THE OLYMPIC BOULEVARD
HOMELESS SHELTER
2 Mercedes Galvez-Arango
2007-07-19