Georgia Football is getting to the difficult part of the schedule. I think we'll take LSU, but it's gonna be tough...and close! I'm thinking late game heroics by a matured Stafford will save the game. Also, I think it'll give us the confidence we need to go in and defeat Florida for the second year in a row, for the first time since like 1989 or so. We'll see! Our overarching goal of a Nat'l Championship isn't over yet. The BCS likes us well enough right now, putting us at No. 7, ahead of Florida! I'm glad that system is a little smarter than the voters that have fallen in love with that ugly orange and blue. But that's just me.
Okay, that's enough about me. This first story I'm gonna share with y'all is one of my earliest shorts. I really like it. Yes, it is vaguely inspired by true events, but keep in mind I do mean VAGUELY! Just read it, tell me what you think, and enjoy it. I hope you're a little richer for the experience. If you're actually reading this, feel free to comment on it. Also, don't forget the Hindi Word of the Week! Since no one guessed (or even read) last week's it's gonna be open until I get a guess, but preferably a correct one. Here goes!
The Bus Ride
John sat on the bench awaiting his turn to get on the bus. The waning moon slowly faded behind the clouds and the streetlights cast a bland orange along the ground. As the bus pulled up, John made his way to the door and sat down methodically two seats down and to the left on the driver’s side. The driver played a track from an old Dave Mathews CD as the passenger sat on quietly waiting to get home.
Across from him tonight, however, he saw a new thing. He saw a woman sitting there whom he had never before noticed on his route home. John never was one for conversing with females. He had a habit of freezing up and becoming even more introverted when he tried. O, but she’s so beautiful, he thought to himself. If perhaps he could only say hello, perhaps they could become friends. John had few friends, and virtually knew not a single woman.
He thought to himself how nice it might be to have someone he could talk to on this lonely road home. He thought how much he would enjoy not having to sit alone so quiet as the rest of the passengers just accepting the dark night ahead of them. He thought to himself how much kinder the road would be were there someone sharing it with him. O, he thought to himself.
O, he thought to himself.
John stood up, and moved across the row. He saw himself sitting down next to the lady and even then prepared to speak! “Hello, m’am. I’m John. I don’t believe I have ever seen you on this route before. Are you visiting?”
It turns out, she had lived in the area for a few months, but always managed to catch an earlier bus. It just so happened however, that she had to work late this particular evening and thus was there for John to talk to. Her name was Beatrice.
The two sat and talked until it was time for John to get off at his apartment. When he stood to leave, he feigned forgetfulness, saying he was getting off far too soon. So, he and Beatrice had more time to talk. Eventually, her stop came too. Apparently, they both were rather forgetful people, because they stayed on the bus for a few stops more talking together about all sorts of things from lakehouses to European vacations. O, the dreams those two conjured while sitting on that bus.
Unfortunately, the bus routes are shorter than their ability to talk. The driver made his last stop and forced the two off the bus. Now, being devoid of a bus and a long way from home, the two suffered through walking each other home. And a more pleasurable sojourn has never before been known. This whimsical pair conspired up fantasies of winter snows and summer nights and secretly planned to join the other on each of them.
Yet still, the night was too short, for they could only stand outside each other’s doors, which they walked to and from at least seven times by daybreak, at which point they finally made it up to sleep. After about an hour of sleep, however, both John and Beatrice walked to the bus stop together, and rode in to work just as refreshed as if they’d been dreaming all night. Though she was exhausted by lunch, Beatrice decided to work late again. So, she and John met up on the bus.
This routine continued for many weeks, until John finally asked her to go out one night on the weekend. Thrilled to the soul, Beatrice dressed up in her finest clothes and jewels, an astounding array of beauty and form, to meet John for dinner. This became the routine as well, although the locale changed. Occasionally they’d meet each other for dinner at the other’s apartment and have a simple evening with some salad, a nice roasted chicken, and a little white wine before an old, cheesy chick-flick from the couch. Beatrice and John fell so deep in love over this time, and John was tired of having to say goodnight each time the movie ended. So, he did what any intelligent man would do, and bought a ring.
It wasn’t long before he and Beatrice met up one night at the same restaurant they had first ventured together. Afterwards, John led her on an unknown walk to a ratty little bus shelter on the corner of Love and Idleness. It was at this spot he bowed on bended knee and poured such beautiful verse from his mouth as he gave her the ring. With his enchanting woo, she had no choice but to say yes! O, these two were in love in such a way as few had been before. John knew that his life was for the first time where he wanted it to be. True happiness was in his view, and better so, in his grasp.
The wedding was held on an idyllic, quiet day in June with friends and family adorned in summer dress, with the bride still outshining them all in the most gorgeous, purest white. John watched her walk down the aisle toward him. His heart could barely believe he had arrived at this moment. Their new lives together were going to be wonderful. He knew that they would do all of those things they promised back on those nights with the bus.
And sure enough, they did. John and Beatrice took a few years before having children to do all of those things they had dreamed of, from spending a week at the lakehouse, to traveling Europe, winters in Montana, and summers at the beach. Those years with just the two of them were as a dream that prolonged itself every morning they woke up together. Every moment made John more happy than the one before. Finally, when the time came to have children, they had two lovely little girls and beautiful boy. All three of them grew up to be smart, caring, and wonderful children that blessed their parents endlessly, despite the occasional speeding ticket or bad boyfriend. Life was beautiful.
One day, they wondered where the time had gone. Their children were grown, with the youngest just finishing college. John looked back on each day gone by with a glow in his eye and a joy that he never expected to be. Life was a perfect road for him ever since that night on the bus.
Even the most perfect dream, however, is not without flaw. There came a time when Beatrice found something that scared John and her both to a realization that life could not go on like this. She was to spend the next months in a hospital trying to defeat this cancer in her chest that he prayed would disappear. Sure enough, John spent every waking moment by her bed. He would not tolerate to have her left alone even for the blink of an eye. It came a day when they knew the dream was over.
“I love you, John. I am sorry that I had to put you through all of this. If only we could have avoided it,” he heard her scrape out with a few meager breaths left.
“No. I love you so much, Beatrice. I would rather have spent this time with you in tears for all the joy we had, than to think of my life without you. And to think of you with no one here during all of this! Do not regret it for an instant, love.” John held her hand so tight that his own knuckles were turning white. He refused to let her go. He sat in the night with a broken spirit, but a calm in knowing that all was for the better. And in an instant, a sound came that turned the course of his entire life askew.
The brakes squealed aloud in a manner that would jostle a deaf man. John sat straight up and looked around. There was the thing sitting across from him, just as she had been all along. The man was at his stop, which John would recognize even in a warped daze. So, he got off the bus, still his ears writhing of that old Dave Mathews chorus, truly mis-given advice to heed he was sure: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow…we die.
Across from him tonight, however, he saw a new thing. He saw a woman sitting there whom he had never before noticed on his route home. John never was one for conversing with females. He had a habit of freezing up and becoming even more introverted when he tried. O, but she’s so beautiful, he thought to himself. If perhaps he could only say hello, perhaps they could become friends. John had few friends, and virtually knew not a single woman.
He thought to himself how nice it might be to have someone he could talk to on this lonely road home. He thought how much he would enjoy not having to sit alone so quiet as the rest of the passengers just accepting the dark night ahead of them. He thought to himself how much kinder the road would be were there someone sharing it with him. O, he thought to himself.
O, he thought to himself.
John stood up, and moved across the row. He saw himself sitting down next to the lady and even then prepared to speak! “Hello, m’am. I’m John. I don’t believe I have ever seen you on this route before. Are you visiting?”
It turns out, she had lived in the area for a few months, but always managed to catch an earlier bus. It just so happened however, that she had to work late this particular evening and thus was there for John to talk to. Her name was Beatrice.
The two sat and talked until it was time for John to get off at his apartment. When he stood to leave, he feigned forgetfulness, saying he was getting off far too soon. So, he and Beatrice had more time to talk. Eventually, her stop came too. Apparently, they both were rather forgetful people, because they stayed on the bus for a few stops more talking together about all sorts of things from lakehouses to European vacations. O, the dreams those two conjured while sitting on that bus.
Unfortunately, the bus routes are shorter than their ability to talk. The driver made his last stop and forced the two off the bus. Now, being devoid of a bus and a long way from home, the two suffered through walking each other home. And a more pleasurable sojourn has never before been known. This whimsical pair conspired up fantasies of winter snows and summer nights and secretly planned to join the other on each of them.
Yet still, the night was too short, for they could only stand outside each other’s doors, which they walked to and from at least seven times by daybreak, at which point they finally made it up to sleep. After about an hour of sleep, however, both John and Beatrice walked to the bus stop together, and rode in to work just as refreshed as if they’d been dreaming all night. Though she was exhausted by lunch, Beatrice decided to work late again. So, she and John met up on the bus.
This routine continued for many weeks, until John finally asked her to go out one night on the weekend. Thrilled to the soul, Beatrice dressed up in her finest clothes and jewels, an astounding array of beauty and form, to meet John for dinner. This became the routine as well, although the locale changed. Occasionally they’d meet each other for dinner at the other’s apartment and have a simple evening with some salad, a nice roasted chicken, and a little white wine before an old, cheesy chick-flick from the couch. Beatrice and John fell so deep in love over this time, and John was tired of having to say goodnight each time the movie ended. So, he did what any intelligent man would do, and bought a ring.
It wasn’t long before he and Beatrice met up one night at the same restaurant they had first ventured together. Afterwards, John led her on an unknown walk to a ratty little bus shelter on the corner of Love and Idleness. It was at this spot he bowed on bended knee and poured such beautiful verse from his mouth as he gave her the ring. With his enchanting woo, she had no choice but to say yes! O, these two were in love in such a way as few had been before. John knew that his life was for the first time where he wanted it to be. True happiness was in his view, and better so, in his grasp.
The wedding was held on an idyllic, quiet day in June with friends and family adorned in summer dress, with the bride still outshining them all in the most gorgeous, purest white. John watched her walk down the aisle toward him. His heart could barely believe he had arrived at this moment. Their new lives together were going to be wonderful. He knew that they would do all of those things they promised back on those nights with the bus.
And sure enough, they did. John and Beatrice took a few years before having children to do all of those things they had dreamed of, from spending a week at the lakehouse, to traveling Europe, winters in Montana, and summers at the beach. Those years with just the two of them were as a dream that prolonged itself every morning they woke up together. Every moment made John more happy than the one before. Finally, when the time came to have children, they had two lovely little girls and beautiful boy. All three of them grew up to be smart, caring, and wonderful children that blessed their parents endlessly, despite the occasional speeding ticket or bad boyfriend. Life was beautiful.
One day, they wondered where the time had gone. Their children were grown, with the youngest just finishing college. John looked back on each day gone by with a glow in his eye and a joy that he never expected to be. Life was a perfect road for him ever since that night on the bus.
Even the most perfect dream, however, is not without flaw. There came a time when Beatrice found something that scared John and her both to a realization that life could not go on like this. She was to spend the next months in a hospital trying to defeat this cancer in her chest that he prayed would disappear. Sure enough, John spent every waking moment by her bed. He would not tolerate to have her left alone even for the blink of an eye. It came a day when they knew the dream was over.
“I love you, John. I am sorry that I had to put you through all of this. If only we could have avoided it,” he heard her scrape out with a few meager breaths left.
“No. I love you so much, Beatrice. I would rather have spent this time with you in tears for all the joy we had, than to think of my life without you. And to think of you with no one here during all of this! Do not regret it for an instant, love.” John held her hand so tight that his own knuckles were turning white. He refused to let her go. He sat in the night with a broken spirit, but a calm in knowing that all was for the better. And in an instant, a sound came that turned the course of his entire life askew.
The brakes squealed aloud in a manner that would jostle a deaf man. John sat straight up and looked around. There was the thing sitting across from him, just as she had been all along. The man was at his stop, which John would recognize even in a warped daze. So, he got off the bus, still his ears writhing of that old Dave Mathews chorus, truly mis-given advice to heed he was sure: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow…we die.
Adam W.
So, that's that. I hope y'all enjoyed it. Time for me to head on outta here. Have a good one, and I look forward to updating next time with something else.
Hindi Word of the Week: अस्सस्सिं
Hint: Do they speak Hindi in Bangkok, because I hear it's dangerous there.
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