Fucking colds!
Goddam it I hate being sick.
Anyway,
Silent
The boy sat on the bus, reading. He paid no mind to anyone else on board, and they paid just as much. Even without a book, no one would have paid the boy much mind, nor he them. He was not a particularly remarkable sight- about eighteen or twenty. Dark hair, glasses. Not movie-star handsome, but decent-looking. He was polite with others on the bus, but rarely initiated any conversation.
The bus made a stop and a girl about the same age boarded. She walked slowly down the aisle, looking for a place to sit. She stopped next to the boy.
“Mind if I sit?” she asked pleasantly.
The boy nodded, barely looked up, mumbled, “yeah, go ahead,” absentmindedly. She sat and began sorting her belongings, taking some things out of her bag and putting others in. She brushed up against the boy. He showed no sign he had noticed. Neither did the girl.
They sat side by side, wordlessly. She had pulled out a book of her own and begun to read. Occasionally her long, dark hair would fall over her eyes, and she would toss her head slightly and sweep it back and keep reading. Each time she did they would touch, and each time neither acknowledged anything had happened.
The air crackled between them, but still neither spoke or so much as glanced at one another. No words needed saying, no verbal communication required. Still the two went on reading, each seeming to ignore the other while at the same time sensing the magical connection and embracing it, never wanting it to end, not daring to taint it with speech.
The bus stopped again. Their destination was the same. The girl exited, followed by the boy.
He went in on direction. She, another.
No goodbyes were exchanged. They both went on their way, not even knowing the name of the person they had shared such a strong, unspoken bond with.
Many years later, an old man walked along the riverbanks. His aged bones grew tired. He came upon a bench where there sat an old woman. The man lowered himself, slowly, carefully, onto the bench. Both he and the woman thought back to when they were young, and shared the most wondrous connection they had ever felt.
They watched the sun set slowly.
Still neither spoke.
Anyway,
Silent
The boy sat on the bus, reading. He paid no mind to anyone else on board, and they paid just as much. Even without a book, no one would have paid the boy much mind, nor he them. He was not a particularly remarkable sight- about eighteen or twenty. Dark hair, glasses. Not movie-star handsome, but decent-looking. He was polite with others on the bus, but rarely initiated any conversation.
The bus made a stop and a girl about the same age boarded. She walked slowly down the aisle, looking for a place to sit. She stopped next to the boy.
“Mind if I sit?” she asked pleasantly.
The boy nodded, barely looked up, mumbled, “yeah, go ahead,” absentmindedly. She sat and began sorting her belongings, taking some things out of her bag and putting others in. She brushed up against the boy. He showed no sign he had noticed. Neither did the girl.
They sat side by side, wordlessly. She had pulled out a book of her own and begun to read. Occasionally her long, dark hair would fall over her eyes, and she would toss her head slightly and sweep it back and keep reading. Each time she did they would touch, and each time neither acknowledged anything had happened.
The air crackled between them, but still neither spoke or so much as glanced at one another. No words needed saying, no verbal communication required. Still the two went on reading, each seeming to ignore the other while at the same time sensing the magical connection and embracing it, never wanting it to end, not daring to taint it with speech.
The bus stopped again. Their destination was the same. The girl exited, followed by the boy.
He went in on direction. She, another.
No goodbyes were exchanged. They both went on their way, not even knowing the name of the person they had shared such a strong, unspoken bond with.
Many years later, an old man walked along the riverbanks. His aged bones grew tired. He came upon a bench where there sat an old woman. The man lowered himself, slowly, carefully, onto the bench. Both he and the woman thought back to when they were young, and shared the most wondrous connection they had ever felt.
They watched the sun set slowly.
Still neither spoke.