The Stranger
It was raining cats and dogs while I was waiting for a bus outside a mall. I had been waiting for about thirty minutes, and I looked like a wet chick. A few minutes from bursting with fury, a bus finally stopped in front of me. I immediately went in and silently thanked the heavens for a bad-day-went-good - hopefully.
I was feeling relaxed when a lady sat next to me. She was attractive enough, with shoulder-length hair and cream complexion. She smiled politely, and I nodded in return. After a few minutes, I promptly forgot her.
Traffic! I was about to welcome deep sleep when the girl next to me, the same girl who gave me a brilliant smile, suddenly struck up a conversation.
She asked me all sorts of things, and before I knew it, I was telling her the story of my life. How my parents died and dad’s sister took me under her care; how I dropped out of school to pursue theater acting; why I am who I am now.
I couldn’t believe how easy it was to talk to her, especially about my personal life. I am usually as tight as a clam, but thinking back, I realized words just poured out of me, telling her my thoughts and feelings. It was unusual for one person to listen to my jumbled words, but even more unusual for me to talk endlessly about myself.
It wasn’t as much as what I told her to what I felt. I felt free from worry, stress, pain, suffer, and everything demeaning to my whole self. I felt like crying because it was like I made peace with myself.
When the bus reached the next stop, I bade goodbye to her, and she smiled serenely. As I was walking through the aisle of the bus, I remembered she didn’t even tell me her name. I looked back on the seat I just vacated, but saw no one. I searched for her with my eyes, but I couldn’t see her. The other passengers looked at me questioningly. I mumbled an apology, and quickly unboarded the bus, all the while thinking how weird the situation was. I looked at the bus until it was gone, then decided to go home. I was tired, but at the same time, refreshed.
I never forgot that girl who made me feel like I was not alone.