jml297

The bus was late. Again. Theo thumbed at his phone to open the app, and groaned as it updated and a red flashing message of ‘delay, no ETA’ flickered on the screen. He flung himself down on the aluminium seat at the bus stop and sent a text to his boss. Being late again was not part of today’s plan.

‘Can you tell me when the bus is approaching?’

Theo turned, surprised to see someone else sharing the mean space of the bus shelter. The man was wearing thick black glasses and a three-piece suit, despite the heat. The man had his face turned towards Theo, his hands curled around a white cane with a round ball-like tip on the end. Theo looked closer, waved a hand across the man’s eyes, then sat back on the seat, a little ashamed of himself.

‘Sure. It’s running late. Don’t know when it will be here.’

The man nodded. ‘I can hear the traffic. Sounds like everything has slowed down.’

Theo’s phone dinged. ‘Yep. Almost always the way.’ He read the text message and his fingers flew across the screen as he promised to get to work as soon as he could. Theo sighed, then began tapping his heels on the ground.

‘In a rush?’

Theo flicked another look at the man. ‘Yeah. Now I’m going to be late for work. This bus is never on time. Drives me mad.’

The man shrugged. ‘Can’t do much about it. Might as well just enjoy the sunshine.’

Theo watched as the man leaned back, stretching out his legs. Theo turned back to his phone, scrolling through work emails. His breathing quickened as he checked his calendar. There were three client meetings booked this morning. If the bus turned up in the next five minutes he’d be okay, but –

‘What’s the day looking like?’

‘What?’ Theo frowned, his mind still playing a game of time Tetris, trying to work out how things could be shuffled about if the bus was later than usual.

‘You know, clear sky, clouds, rain coming?’

Theo stared at the man. His face was tilted towards Theo, but it was aimed a little off-centre.

‘You want me to describe the sky to you? Don’t you have a phone with a weather app?’

The man grinned and patted the pocket of his jacket. ‘Sure. It tells me the temperature, the humidity level and when the sun will set. But can you tell me what the sky looks like?’

Theo sighed and lowered his phone. He looked up, beyond the shuddering traffic. ‘The sky is clear with no clouds.’ He exhaled deeply, taking in the surroundings which had previously been a dull background to the drama in his mind. His voice was softer now. ‘It’s a perfect shade of blue.’

Beside him, the man nodded and smiled, his face turned up to the light.

This was written to a prompt at my writing group.

Photo: streetscape in Chatswood, Sydney.