(In case you missed part one, you can read it here)
Part 2
Dear diary,
It was a day like any other. Until it was not.
I did my usual walk of drudgery from my department to the bus at the end of the work day. It didn't help that the queue to mark attendance was long and everyone seemed to want to be the first one to do so. Some of them seemed too eager, I let some of them break the queue and punch out attendance before me. It will be a day when I won't put others before me, it's not today though. Today I'll be late because I'm just built like that.
No ragrets? No ragrets!
I make it to my bus just in time. I trust the driver - we're always last to leave. Serves me well, I'm usually the last one to board.
I wasn't hoping for anything out of the mundane, the monotonous...
But then - there was her.
A new face. She didn't take this bus before. But I think I did see her at the evaluation centre sometime. She could totally pass as a student if it were not for the orange tag of the ID card.
She looks totally out of it - fidgety, as if she couldn't wait to be done with all of this!
The only empty seat in the bus right now is beside her and I make my way up to it. I point to her bag that was occupying the seat, she moves it to her lap swiftly. I make myself comfortable in the seat - as comfortable one could make oneself in really uncomfortable seats that would give you backache at the end of the day and next to a stranger who didn't seem very fond of company.
The bus started. She looked out of the window throughout the commute, smiling delicately at times, at memories best known to her.
The silence remained uninterrupted. Not that it could have been otherwise.
Yours,
V
**
Dear diary,
I guess she's here to stay. She takes this bus nowadays. I see her everyday.
I don't know if she knows that but she has a very transparent face - don't get me wrong - I mean that her face is very easy to read. It's all there. An open book. The exhaustion, the annoyance, the hesitation with people around - it's all there. But sometimes she smiles at people, in recognition. Sometimes she smiles, lost in thought. Sometimes it feels like she's about to chuckle- headphones in her ears- at a song. It's unusual, but who am I to say anything!
I sit next to her often. I hope she doesn't think it to be rude that I haven't even said a word so far…
Because I couldn't, even if I wanted to…
Yours,
V
**
Dear diary,
Happy birthday to me!
What a way to begin my birthday though! I'm late for work! I miss my bus!
I take an auto to reach a later stop. I trust the driver - I'll catch the bus!
And I do.
Her.
I catch her looking at me as I board the bus. And I might be hallucinating because of all the rush that I'm going through as I caught the bus last minute but….
I think she smiled at me!
Cute.
Did she? Did she? What am I - a school going teen who's happy his crush smiled at him?
WAIT DID I JUST SAY CRUSH????
I need to lie down.
I think it's enough for the day.
Yours,
V
**
Dear diary,
My God it was close. I almost missed my bus this evening! This job is really draining the life out of me.
Exhausted.
Yours,
V
**
Dear diary,
It was a usual day. Until it was not.
I walked up to the vacant seat next to her. She was holding her bag close to her already. She seemed tired - more so than usual. I sat down. No biggie.
The bus started moving. I think she dozed off soon after. Poor kid.
Ummm…
Well. Okay. No. Okay. No.
If the harsh stop at the traffic signal hadn't woken her up - her head would've been on my shoulder I think. She was really flustered, she literally turned to her side, towards the window after that.
I'm evil for laughing at this but I think it was funny. And cute. And funny!
I say as if I wasn't flustered in equal measure * face palm *
Not bad :'D
Yours,
V
**
Dear diary,
BAD DAY. JUST BAD. BAD.
Heaven opened its floodgates today. As if it wasn't cold enough already.
And the bus driver - I trust him - to make the situation worse.
And he did.
I waited for about an hour, standing in the rain. I'll be late today, I'll definitely have my day's pay cut.
But I finally spotted the ugly yellow as I was having second thoughts about going to work today.
I guess everyone on board was having a bad day.
Including her…
She and window seats are like a match made in heaven, bound together by Fevicol - I swear! But today she was sitting on an alley side seat. Her big bag in her lap, held close. Forehead creased. But it also looked like she'll cry any moment now.
I made my way to the back of the bus.
I hope she's okay….
Yours,
V
**
Dear diary,
She looked…. different this morning...
Lip colour darker, circles under the eyes darker max. It all pops out because she's pale.
The unfazed exterior that she tries to maintain. It's a sham though, I don't think anybody buys it. It's sad too. I know how students could be with new professors. She'll learn gradually, if she already hasn't, to stand her ground.
Also….
I think she looks beautiful.
OKAY ENOUGH FOR TODAY GOOD NIGHT ABORT MISSION I SAID GOOD NIGHT.
Yours,
V
**
Dear diary,
She has befriended someone, looks more like someone has befriended her. Her face, I swear, her face gives everything away! Not her fake smiling and nodding through the conversation!
Also, with this new development, went my chance to sit next to her.
It's not like I could've talked to her anyway but….
I miss the shared silence.
Yours,
V
**
Dear diary,
Okay today seems to be my lucky day!
I got to sit next to her, the friend probably took a day off.
I -
I also heard her hum to herself… since she had earphones on, she probably didn't realise that it was loud enough...
She has a sweet voice…
I -
OKAY GOOD NIGHT ABORT MISSION I SAID GOOD NIGHT BYE
WHOSE EVEN!
V
**
Dear diary,
It's nobody's lucky day.
Covid is here and spreading and it probably means that the university will be shutting down.
So much uncertainty!
Yours,
V
**
Dear diary,
So no more going to university from now on - till God knows when!
Who could've thought this was to be the last time I boarded that bus…..
Last time I saw her….
Unexpected goodbye!
Strange - I know she's nothing like me and yet…
She seemed just like me.
Yours
V
*
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