The bus pulled up to the stop.

     The rain had been pretty heavy lately. I bundled up in my coat. It was itchy and worn but I'd rather have that then run the risk of a new one being too big or small. I had only had it for a short time. It had just gotten attached to me recently and I just can't let go. I wonder what life would be like without it, but that is a silly thought. Why would someone be that close to an article of clothing? I don't know, and I really didn't care to find out.

     The door opened to reveal a middle aged man. His black skin flecked with the sign of old age. His head subtly gleaming with the orange of the streetlights. He had a small beard with flecks of gray in it. He had on a serious and daunting expression. Like he was responsible for a lot of suffering. Looked familiar though. Down the aisle, many people were lost looking outside. I found a piece of myself in them somehow. Longing but never getting. Something screwed up in their lives for them to be acting like this in this cold morning at the 6th hour. But we were all here anyway so they might as well look out. I found my seat near the front next to someone else.

     The driver started the bus, but it make some weird noises and sputtered out. The driver yelled a curse word and hit the dashboard.

     "I can help." A voice called, echoing through the quiet metal tube. It was a young woman, my age. She wore sweatpants and a cotton white top with a black denim jacket. It was a nice jacket. She was gorgeous too. Her caramel skin lit up the dark environment and her smile seemed to radiate warmth and comfort. She strode up to the front of the bus and fiddled with the controls a bit. The driver attempted to start the bus again and it worked.

     "I had it, now keep your dirty hands off of my vehicle." He huffed.

     Her smile faltered a bit. "I just wanted to help."

     He responded in a fit of fury, "Save it! If my kid acted like you, I woulda abandoned them sooner than my own child."

     The once bubbly expression disappeared leaving an expression of defeat instead.

     The bus went on. Even though it was dark out, there were a lot of people outside. We stopped at a light. There was a bench on the sidewalk where a young couple was kissing under the moonlight. That sight was impactful. Love and relationships weren't a thing that I understood well. I'd never kissed anyone and have only "liked" one person. I didn't get the concept of flirting and I would rather not make any moves at all because being called a creep on top of rejection isn't a fine combo. It was something that I thought about a lot. I've never wanted to admit it, but I long for something like that. Someone. Someone that I could hold in my arms and embrace even in the coldest nights. Someone worth caring and thinking about. But I'm scared. I'm not just scared of rejection, but the mere thought of liking someone and not being able to do anything petrified me. It's better to live in my fantasy daze anyway.  

     "Ooh mama!" A male voice beside me exclaimed.

     I almost forgot that he was there. A shiver went down my spine as I realized that this man was talking about the young couple despite being completely out of their age range. It was creepy, but I guess people have their problems. He turned towards me. 

    "Did you see that?" He asked excitedly.

    I really didn't want to get into his perverted discussion about what happened there, so I just politely decided to say no.

   "No, I didn't." I replied.

   "Really? That bottom could have been seen from a mile away! You don't see drunkards like that every day you know." He exclaimed.

   What? What was he talking about? A streetlight shined over us as we left that light so I could get another look at him. 

   My blood ran cold. It was no one. He had some clothes like a normal human, but where his "human" parts were supposed to be, there was only mist. His eyes were gaping dark pits devoid of anything. My mouth gaped open.

   "Must be realizing what you saw. I don't blame you young one, haven't seen a downstairs like that in years. Gettin older, I mean, lots of things you once took for granted become uncertainties." He said this while his face got sadder and sadder.

   "I just want something to break me out of this cycle of monotony, but these girls outside the window are my only resort." He sadly explained.

   I could only nod. I have been going on this bus for years and I've only seen the same thing: young couples together. This person was either blind or delusional if he thought that he was somehow seeing the "bottom of his dreams" every night. Who knows? Maybe we see things differently.

   Romance songs of different genres and types played as we went to my destination. I was supposed to get picked up somewhere, but I didn't know who. It was getting to my stop and I got anxious and anxious thinking if I would even be remembered by my driver. We finally arrived and the music stopped.

   "Everybody out." The man replied with his gruff voice. 

   I exited and the cold wind bit my face. The parking lot was desolate, a bunch of dead looking cars with drivers that looked just as dead inside. There was also a bench. This time no couples. In fact there was no one at all except the people in the cars and the people coming out of the bus. I sat on the bench and waited. 

5 minutes.

10 minutes.

20.

No one ever came.