The Past of the Future

 

That day wasn't like any other day for him. It wasn't filled with emptiness. Every morning he waits for the bus to take him to his work. The bus isn't specialized for his work but he just loves listening to the old driver's tales. The young man always sits on the closest seat to the door so he can hear the driver very well.

 

On that specific day, he couldn't sit where he used to do because when he stepped onto the bus he saw an old man sleeping on the closest seat to the door. The old man looked like he was dreaming about a past that he didn't have. The young man looked at the driver and shook his head in disapproval before the bus was on the road again.

 

The young man looked for a seat while the bus was moving. He stumbled into many seats and armrests to keep his balance. It was a long way to find a seat as almost everyone on the bus said 'good morning' to and exchanged friendly words with him. He wasn't born in this city but he was loved since he'd moved here after he was released from prison.

The second two seats from the last on his right were occupied by a woman with an infant in her arms and a university student tightly holding three chemistry books. The little infant vomited on the student's hand so she involuntarily stood and stumbled into the young man who was about to take the vacant seat across where she sat. She stumbled into him and love also did. He was once a prisoner but he had never been captivated the way he was by her eyes. The sun was leaning on the horizon to her back and the golden rays were framing her physique and her eyes centered the portrait. 

He noticed the chemistry books. Chemistry was his favorite subject at school and he was brilliant at it but he didn't say anything about it. He also wanted to apologize for she fell on him but he also didn't. He didn't even give her tissues when she needed them to wipe some vomit off her shoe. 

The bus arrived at the young girl's university thirty minutes before the first lecture. She stood up keeping her eyes on her books. The young man looked at her only when she was walking down the steps of the bus. She stepped out and the door behind her shut causing a sharp squeaky noise.

The young man woke up. He was sleeping at the closest seat to the door. Before the old driver opened the door of the bus, the young man saw a passenger holding three chemistry books from the glass window of the door. Then the door was opened letting light illuminate the interior of the bus while the passenger was stepping up the steps of the bus.