Dear Bus Stop Boy,
You cross my mind every so often. Any time I pick out my rings, I think of you. It’s interesting because I can’t remember the features of your face but I can remember how widely I smiled when you talked to me.
Sometimes I wonder if it was just the rings you liked. Sometimes I wonder if you knew, in some way, what wearing those rings meant to me. When I was sitting at the bus stop where I wasn’t even waiting for a bus, sometimes I wonder if your faith brought us together for a fleetingly meaningful exchange.
I remember there were so many other people, mostly university students, waiting for the bus that evening but it felt like just us two sitting there. I was playing with my phone when you told me you liked my rings. I looked up to you and smiled, and said I liked yours too. I told you how I liked the way mine made me look and feel. You told me how yours was to remind you of your faith. We talked for a bit more, you about your mission in Sydney and me about my job writing events.
However many calendar pages had passed and one circled day on the bus ride home from an event I was writing about, you tapped me on the shoulder to say hi again. I was scared for a split second but I smiled widely when I recognized your face. You introduced me to your friend, also of your faith, and we talked for a bit until we came to your stop. I remember how you told your friend how I have the “coolest job”. I loved it. As odd as it may sound, it felt like you were proud of me, like you were beaming with pride just for knowing me. I wonder if in some way, you knew I needed that. You lit up my heart. You invited me to your weekly game nights held with your mission friends and we parted ways.
I wondered for a while if I should attend your game nights. I wonder if we’d ever run into each other again. It’s unlikely now that I’ve left Sydney. I wish I could’ve run into you again but a part of me is so glad I have a perfect memory. People like you are proof to me that magic exists. No matter our choices, our story, our faith, we exist in this beautiful world and make our way through it together. I’m glad we had our “together”, brought to us by the Maroubra bus route. I cherish our transient time. I hope your life is full of the same lightness you brought to me.
Sincerely,
Image by Dele Oke.
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