I'm stuck waiting for a bus to come for the next three hours. My usual destination is a town called Flowerbud known for its variety of festivals and people. Two years of visiting has made my face familiar yet that still did not stop the occasional stares of a local news "star". It didn't help that our station aired there.
I sighed as I lifted up my duffel bag over my shoulder. Unfortunately my transfer was taking longer than anticipated. Leaving me stuck in the quaint little town of Clovertown. A place that was actually just a few houses and a juice bar. How did anyone live here was beyond my knowledge. It was a transfer point for buses as well as a rest stop for truck drivers in another corner of the town. Some parts of town were not even paved as most of the residents preferred to walk or ride on horseback. I made my way to the Juice bar to spend my time.
The place was almost empty except for three other customers sitting in different corners of the establishment. I took my seat at the counter and immediately got service from one of the workers. The worker was young, very young like he was attending secondary school, a familiar green newsboy cap fitted his head. He held the clipboard tight to his chest.
"Oh hello again! Heading to Flowerbud once again?".
"Yes. How has it been working for your grandparents?" I asked curiously. The boy smiled politely.
"It's been great, the shop although its empty now has been really thriving."
"That's great to hear." I congratulated. He nodded and took my order, retreating back to the kitchen where his sister was preparing the juices. I could hear the ice grinding to bits against the metallic blade of the blender. The clock struck three and yet there was still no sign of my bus anywhere.
He comes back with the blended tomato juice. I thank him as he goes back to cleaning the counter.
"You are doing a great job, with this place." I said as he gave the opposite end of the marbled counter a few splashes with cleaning solution.
"Ah! Thanks! It's all thanks to my sister who handles stock and almost everything else." He replied modestly. I gave him a small smile. It must be nice to just have someone even a relative to depend on.
We both shifted our attention to the door opening as another customer walks in.
"Oh hello 'Mam! Do you need anything?"
The woman wore a pink vest with blue shorts and had her hair tied in pigtails. A very naive and youthful appearance. Her knees had dirt stains and she smelled of freshly cut turf. If I had to guess, she worked in the fields somewhere.
"Nothing but the usual." She said with a playful smile. "I also have the delivery of goods your sister asked for."
At the mention of the news a young girl came out of the kitchen, her head also covered by a light orange cap like her brother. Although I knew she worked here, I seldom saw her as she was always occupied running the store.
"Ah Tina! Thank you so much for covering for Hank on the deliveries!" The young owner chirped.
"It's alright! Anything to help out while Hank is recovering from the cold."
Hank..the name sounded vaguely familiar. The woman after she was done chatting went outside to help deliver the goods to the back. I glanced back at the clock on top of the entrance. No bus yet.
"Is something the matter?" The boy asked me.
"It's nothing. I just hate waiting that's all."
"That's right, we were suppose to have a bus to Flowerbud coming in earlier didn't we?" He said with concern.
"Yeah." I said begrudgingly. I should have asked for an earlier bus.
The two came back from unloading. His sister went straight back to the kitchen without even glancing at anyone as the other woman walked up to the counter.
"Mind if I sit next to you miss?"
"Sure." I said, not caring anymore for company or not.
"Tina how was the trek over here from Flowerbud?" The boy said. So the woman sitting next to me was from there. She must have been new as I had never seen her before.
"It wasn't too bad though a bit bumpy." She replied honestly. He went back inside the kitchen to carry out her order, leaving the two of us.
"So where are you headed?" A question I most often heard and at times dreaded.
"Ironically, back to your town, if the stupid bus ever comes." I nearly grumbled at the end. I just about had it with waiting.
"Really? How long have you been waiting?"
"About two hours." I had spent the first hour and a half out facing the sun. I'm glad I hadn't developed a bad sunburn.
"That's really awful!" She replied as the boy came out with her drink.
"How come you didn't mention you had someone waiting for a bus gone AWOL!" She said to the boy as he handed her the order.
"It's been a good while, I thought the bus was just stuck in traffic that's all." He replied sincerely.
Tina took a couple of large gulps of her drink before she replied back to me.
"Are you staying the night in Flowerbud?"
The girl was truly new to the village to not know me or perhaps even new to the area.
"I'll be staying the summer." I replied cut.
"I can give you a ride back to town then if you'd like. I just unloaded all my goods so there is plenty of space in the cart."
"Sure." A horse-drawn carriage on a pave less road would probably be less than comforting but it would beat waiting another couple of hours hoping to get a ride in a later bus. I don't even want to find out if there is an Inn if things go really badly.
I threw my duffel bag and climbed onto the back of the wooden cart. Hay covered the floor and empty produce boxes were left strewn about. Tina closed the back behind me to insure I wouldn't fall off.
I sat against the side of the cart as we slowly made our way to town. The afternoon was turning into nightfall as the road gradually became dimmer and dimmer. I could see Tina bringing out an electric lantern to light the road. The horse carefully walked along the worn path back.
It wasn't too often that I got to travel this way. I felt a strange nostalgia come over me as I reminisced about the old ways people traveled before cars were invented. A time when it was less about the destination and more of the journey. My daydream became interrupted as I heard Tina speak.
"So is this the first time you're visiting Flowerbud?"
"No, this is actually my third time." I said as I shifted my legs before they fell asleep.
"Oh. Then you must know the town more than me." She joked.
"How long have you been in town?"
"Just this year. I own a small farm at the edge of town. Nothing much yet unfortunately."
"How are you liking the village so far?" I said curious. It must be annoying living in a town where everyone knows your name in a short while. Something that I've dreaded for a long time. The only silver lining that kept me coming back was the peace I felt from these small villages that the city would not provide. A sort of peace that would allow my mind to relax rather than become overwhelmed by the rush of the metropolis.
"I have honestly just started and so I cannot give you a proper answer. A few months does not do Flowerbud justice. I am however finding owning a farm really self satisfying."
I was left to reflect on her answer as the rest of the trip was quiet. It was a lot more longer than if I went on bus but we finally reached the village as the moon made its way.
"Thank you once again for taking me here."
"It was no problem. Enjoy your stay here and feel free to say hi since I know we will be running into each other." She said as she helped me with my bag and began carrying boxes out of the cart.
"Oh wait I never got your name!" She realized. I gave her a small grin.
"It's Nami. And your Tina right?"
"Right!"
We said our goodbyes as I began walking the main road to the Perch Inn. Amazed she never recognized me.
(Notes: I'm sorry for the delay. In all honesty I didn't even think I'd come back to this site after the 12 days event. I lost a lot of inspiration to write. As a reader I always disliked an unfinished story and I have an actual longer running fic surrounding Nami planned after this. This story is meant more for developing and practicing her character so to say. Anyways thanks for reading and I'll try to update this series more often.)
