The Innocent

Short Story

The bus smells of sweat and cleaner. My friends and I have often wondered if they dip these buses in bleach at the end of the day. Although we joke about it, we know it very well may be true. I approach the orange marked section of the bus, which is the only place I can sit. I sit on the orange seats and my orange clothes blends in with them. I watch the red section closely as I do every day. The Lust driven individuals, draped in red, small clothes, have always given me chills. I watch many others getting on and off the bus as I ride. Some sit in the blue section, reserved for the Gluttonous, where the seats are large and hold more weight. The Prideful individuals sit at the back, above us all, in their golden clothes with fancy watches and polished shoes.  The Envious ones sit midway back where the seats are green, they can never decide which side of the bus is best. A man in yellow takes the seat next to me, almost shoving me off my own in his haste. He has obviously decided this seat is for him and will let no one get in his way. I want to yell at the Greedy one but remember I will never win this battle, so I brood in silence. The Greedy take the seats they want, they have no section. The Sloths get on next, clothed in brown with stain covered shirts, taking whatever seat is closest to the door.

 

My ride is long, and many times I shout forward at the driver to speed up but to no avail. The Greedy man next to me smells like expensive cologne and is no doubt heading to his well-paying job.     He crowds me until I have no choice but to shove him away. He shoots me a look, but doesn’t engage. People around here know not to fight with someone in orange…a Wrathful one. I want to further this fight but something at the head of the bus catches my eye. A man has walked on, clothed in purple. I know what he must be… I have heard of the Innocent, but never encountered one. Everyone on the bus stops and stares, even the Sloths wake and lift their tired heads. The man enters the bus farther before noticing our stares. I will never forget the look of terror that crosses his face as he locks eyes with each section.

 

“Well…What are you waiting for?” A fellow man in my section shouts at the newcomer. “Sit!”

The Innocent gulps and eyes each section, obviously looking for one marked for his kind. A useless pursuit…there is almost no one like him anymore.

“Where?” the man asks childishly as his face flushes.

“It’s up to you” I interject. “Choose…”

“But there is no good choice; none of these seats suit me…” He argues.

“Then stand…” I grin at his grimace. The bus starts moving again and the man battles the motion to remain upright. He grabs arm rests, chair backs, and body parts in his struggle. He is doing surprisingly well before he accidently grabs the arm of the first man to speak to steady himself, a man in my section. Before I know what has happened the Innocents lip is bleeding and the Wrathful man’s knuckles are bright red. He stumbles back into a Greedy woman who pushes him forward into the lap of a Sloth who wakes with a shout before pushing him to the ground. The original man grabs the collar of the Innocents shirt, pulling him closer until the man’s own clothing becomes his noose, before throwing him to the ground. I have no dog in this fight so I sit and watch as the man is bombarded by the mad passengers. The bus driver does nothing, still driving and stopping, fights are too usual an occurrence to get involved in. All I can see is a small glimmer of purple pant leg under piles of limbs and flying fists. The bus stops at my stop now. I collect my things, get to my feet and walk away.