BUS STOP

On Her Way to the Bus Stop

When she heard the big wooden clock in her building strike five, Ruth hurried out of her office. It was empty and quiet in the corridor; people were still finishing up their works. In order to avoid running into a colleague, Ruth scurried past the elevator which was only two doors from her office. Without bothering to push the button, she turned and dashed into the staircase. As soon as she made sure that she was alone, she took off her high heels and started to run with her bare feet. 「Today is the day. I will break the ice as long as he is there」, Ruth braced herself while whirling down the stairs. He would be at the bus stop at this time of the day, the guy with the blue shirt.

Was he there? When Ruth paused to catch her breath at the second floor, the thought flashed across her mind. What if he was not coming today? Was he sick? Or was it possible that he could read my mind, and deliberately stopped coming to this bus stop? Once the first question popped up, the following flooded into her mind one wave after another. The mingled feeling of anxiety and uncertainty made Ruth feel weak in her feet. For a moment, she stood stock-still, entranced, with a bewildered look on her face.

Ruth was surprised at herself the moment she realized she fell in love with this guy, a stranger, whom she never spoke to. She did not even remember since when she started to notice him. Ruth thought her heart was buried under tons of snow at Mount Alps. Her world, as well as her love and hope, had been crushed the day when she woke up in the hospital bed, realizing Joe had left her forever. The avalanche took his life yet spared hers. For the following two years her world had been blank and lifeless, until one day she was convinced by her best friend Judith to take a new job in this strange city. Ruth decided to leave her painful past behind and move on.

It turned out to be therapeutic for her, being away from the city and people that she and Joe had been familiar with. After three months』 adjustment to living in a hot and humid climate, Ruth grew to like this southern city, totally opposite to where she was from. Her frozen emotion was conformable with the weather, thawed by its gentle breeze and generous sunshine. 「This would do you good.」 She thought about what Judith said and gladly admitted that she made the right decision.

Far away from the bus stop, Ruth saw the blue shirt. Leaning casually on the lamppost, he was reading a book. Ruth felt relieved suddenly; all her worries vanished at the sight of his presence. She could not help but laugh at herself for the unnecessary running and silly thoughts. He was tall, and fit. The bulgy biceps and pectorals gave him a muscular build. His short hair was trimmed neatly. He was not a particularly good-looking man, yet his face gave out a friendly, trustworthy air. It felt like a natural force that draws Ruth to him irresistibly. When the unexpected tingling sensation ran through her body, she knew she was in love.

Who was this guy? Where was he from? Was he married or did he have a live-in girlfriend? Was he a good man? How would he respond after she had given her opening line? Ruth was overwhelmed by the physical and mental exhaustion. The road seemed longer while the distance between them actually became shorter. There were not many people at the bus stop. The line was short and he was the last one in the line. The closer she was to him, the faster her heart was pounding in her chest. Her face looked as red as a ripe peach. With all of these questions in her mind, Ruth stopped behind him.

Hearing the footsteps, he lifted up his head from his book and turned towards her.

「Hi!」