Chapter 2:
Bella discovered public transportation was more fun than dealing with traffic, especially when in a new city. She could sit back and read or listen to a podcast or her favorite, people watch. Most people did not bother acknowledging her, caught up in their own little world. Those were the most fun to watch. Bella would create her own stories about their lives off the bus, but when they rode with her, she observed every detail.
Tuesdays and Thursdays brought her Victoria and James, an argumentative couple that did not mind who heard their debates. Neither were particularly vicious in their discussions, just passionate.
And loud.
By the end of the second week, Bella knew Victoria's red curls were natural and James' blond hair was not, that her favorite food was Indian and it gave him gas, and that both felt term limits were the way to go and the Electoral College had long outlasted its usefulness. They were a fun couple to watch and seemed to love each other very much even when they agreed to disagree.
Monday and Thursday meant Alice and Jasper, an odd couple if ever there was one, rode the bus on Bella's morning commute, and Alice was alone on Bella's return home. Alice, petite, boisterous, and ever the fashion plate, loved to greet everyone with a smile and a kind word. Heartfelt compliments on outfits, reading choices, and even seat selection bubbled out of the vivacious young woman who had obviously never met a stranger. Jasper was more of a quiet sort, tall and lean with wise beyond his years gray eyes. Bella noticed his left arm bore horrible scars as if something had tried to rip his flesh from his body, but she was too timid to inquire the cause. After two weeks, Bella discovered Alice worked at a local art gallery, designing and documenting the exhibits, and Jasper was a doctoral student at a local university, earning a degree in American History. The couple balanced each other out completely, and Bella found herself wishing she had someone like that in her life.
Fridays brought a plethora of tourists to the bus route, making seating a little tight, but Bella enjoyed watching the visitors go back and forth from their phones or physical maps to the bus route's stops that rotated on an LED screen above the passenger's heads. More than once, she learned about must-see places and even her now favorite Thai restaurant had come from someone she had overheard.
But her favorite day of the week for her commute was performance days. When she needed to be at the theater several hours before a show in order to dress, warm up, go through conductor's notes, eat the snack she had packed and hydrate before she took her place, those were the days Edward rode the bus.
Three weeks after she started rehearsals, Bella noticed an exhausted young man board the bus near the university. He was clad in scrubs and had an ID badge clipped to the neckline which is how she knew his name. The only empty seat was next to her, so she scooted over to give him as much room as possible, and he gratefully plopped down.
"Thank you."
"Long day?"
To this day, she had no idea why she asked, but she would never regret it.
"And it's not over yet." He removed his glasses and scrubbed his face, heaving a deep sigh.
"Mine is just beginning."
"That sucks."
He immediately blushed, embarrassed at his observation which she waved off. She knew from her own experience that when tired, she often said things she did not completely think through.
"I play in the Seattle Symphony for Children. This week we have evening performances. Next week, it's afternoon and evening."
He nodded and fiddled with his backpack that rested between his feet.
"I'm a nursing student at UDub. I'm in the middle of my clinicals, and I got called into work an extra shift. I don't mind because I need the money, but I would kill for a few hours of uninterrupted sleep."
Bella nodded, remembering how difficult it was to balance eating, sleeping, working, practicing, and studying as she earned her performance degree.
All too soon, the bus had reached her destination, and she prepared to disembark. With a cheery farewell and good luck, she left, not knowing she would ever see the handsome young man again, but as fate would have it, he seemed to be on the bus every day she had a performance. Sometimes, he would sit near her, other times he did not. It never was uncomfortable, Bella thought. It all depended upon where the seemingly permanently exhausted man could find a place to land. But she looked forward to those times, because frankly, who did not like having a handsome, friendly man around. She also had the feeling, watching how he acted around everyone else, taking into consideration his chosen profession, and just that ever-trusted gut reaction, he was a caregiver in the truest sense. If she ever needed someone's help, he would be there. And those are the kind of people one can never know too many.
Again, thank you for reading. I hope you are enjoying this short story as much as I did writing it.