Oswin lived in a small and secluded neighborhood a few tube stops from everywhere she had ever needed to go. Which was convenient because her dad was always working and her mother had cancer. Shortly after getting to places became an issue for Oswin, her mother passed away and now Oswin relied more and more on the public transportation. She was sad that her mother died and seldom left her house for a year and a half afterwards. But Oswin still had to go to school. So she used the Underground and the buses.
Her father gave her the money she needed to get place to place but he would get mad at Oswin if she went in a cab. "They can be dangerous," he always claimed. "Just a few years back, one cabbie turned out to be a serial killer!" Oswin was skeptical of her fathers assertions, but she hated to anger him, so she stayed away from the cabs.
On her first day of secondary school, Oswin had on an old pair of jeans and a soft sweater that used to belong to her mother. The material was soft and smelled like vanilla. Waiting for her bus to pull up, Oswin pulled out her cell phone to tell her father she was at the stop. She had walked only a few feet from the door of their flat, but he liked to know where she was at all times. Oswin tried her best to do whatever she could to make her father's life less difficult. As she was slipping her phone back into her backpack, Oswin noticed someone else walk up next to her. Peering out of her peripheral vision and shielded by sheet of straight brown hair, Oswin studied the newcomer. She was tall and slim and looked to be about the same age as Oswin.
The girl looked over towards Oswin just she averted her glance. Muttering a quick "sorry," for staring, Oswin turned away to leave. Perhaps today would be a good day to ride the bus.
"It's no worries," reassured the girl in a thick Scottish accent. "I'm Nina. Today's my first day of Secondary School." Nina stuck out her hand assertively. Oswin reluctantly accepted it.
"Oswin. My first day too." she shoved her hands into the pockets of her pants. "You taking this bus?"
Nina nodded. "I just moved here from Glasgow. My mum got a new job and we all got dragged along. What about you? Where does your mom work?"
"My mom's dead," Oswin said. She had learned it brought on the least amount of sympathy if you told people before they got to know you. "Cancer. Five years ago."
Nina nodded solemnly. "My dad passed when I was three. Car crash. I don't remember him that well."
"I'm sorry," replied Oswin
"Likewise," countered Nina.
The two gazed off in silence. The bus pulled up and opened it's doors. No one came off but Nina and Oswin had to wait in a line of people to get on. A tall man carrying a thick briefcase knocked past Oswin on his way to his seat which caused Oswin to lose her balance. As she was bracing for her fall, she felt a delicate hand wrap around her midsection and steady her body. When Oswin was up straight once again, she turned and looked into Nina's eyes.
"Thank you," Oswin said, her breath catching a bit in her throat. Her pulse was pounding in her ears. Nina's face was just a few inches from her own.
"Of course. Let's just try and get to school unharmed shall we?" Nina replied with a giggle like tinkling bells. She smiled warmly at Oswin. Oswin countered with a shy grin of her own and pushed her hair behind her ear.
The pair of them found two adjacent seats near the back of the bottom of the bus and sat down. Oswin pulled out her phone to tell her father she was on her way. He replied quickly with good luck wishes. She smiled and slipped her phone back away. Nina had been waiting patiently for Oswin to be finished but as soon as she was, Oswin was bombarded with questions.
"So, have you lived here all your life? Have you ever been to Scotland? What's your favorite book? What do you want to be when you grow up?" Oswin answered the questions as they came along, mostly with slight head nods or single word responses. The questions kept flowing. By the time the bus pulled up to their school, Oswin felt Nina knew more about her life than anyone else save her father.
Oswin stood up to leave the bus with Nina following behind her. As soon as they hit the pavement, the bus sped away leaving the two girls in its dust. Oswin turned to head into the school but Nina called after her. "Wait! Will I see you again today?" she asked, striding toward Oswin confidently.
In a shaky voice, Oswin called back, "I don't think so. My father picks me up from school usually. But perhaps tomorrow on the bus again,"
Nina smiled a crooked smile that lit up her eyes. "I would love that," she said as she caught up to Oswin. Matching each others strides, the two entered the school building together and went to their separate classrooms.