Short Story: Bus Stop

“Look at the ad on that bus over there. That guy looks exactly like Roger. How is Roger doing anyway?”

Ellen dragged on her cigarette. She cast a wary eye over at Tim as she exhaled. The two of them had waited off and on at the same bus stop for the past five years. Roger was another regular. He went away on business a lot, which meant he wasn’t as regular as the others.

“He was beheaded.”

“What?”

Ellen dragged on her cigarette again.

“Yeah, it was a bad accident.”

“You think someone would have told me.”

Ellen shrugged her shoulders.

“Shit. Shit.”

“It wasn’t like he was a close personal friend or anything. It’s not as if someone just told you your dog just died.”

“I know. But still.”

“So you think you’re gonna get that raise?”

“It depends on a couple of things.”

“What?”

“There are some personnel personality issues.”

“You could just sleep with him.”

Tim gave Ellen a cock-eyed glance.

“It was a joke. I mean unless you were actually considering it.”

“It’s hard to tell with you sometimes. And no I don’t think that works for me. You didn’t actually think that I was. I mean that I would?”

“It’s hard to tell with you sometimes.”

“You too at it again?”

“She loves me too much. She just won’t admit it.”

“Ellen would love the devil himself if he kept her in cigarettes and coffee.”

Ellen stamped out her cigarette.

“You’re forgetting the red wine.”

“I’ll bring it over later.”

“Too bad you don’t know where I live.”

“He doesn’t but I do.”

“Yes but we’re not going to talk about that.”

“Is there something I don’t know about?”

“It was two years ago. It was raining and the buses weren’t running.”

“So we split a cab.”

“I got off and you kept going, remember?”

“Oh I remember.”

Ellen shook her head and fished another cigarette out of her pack.

“Hey John did you know about Roger?”

“Yeah he was beheaded. You didn’t know?”

“No I didn’t.”

“Well it’s not as if you were close or anything.”

Ellen exhaled and nodded in agreement.

“I mean shit. You know?”

John shrugged his shoulders while Ellen nodded.

“Where is that damn bus anyway?”

“Still got five minutes.”

“Jerome was always early.”

Ellen exhaled, intentionally directing some of the smoke toward Tim.

“Jerome was always drunk.”

“Well at least he was early.”

“So Tim, what’s the deal with you? Are you getting that raise or what?”

“He says there are personal issues.”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“Personal issues? I worked with a guy who exposed himself at a Western Union.”

Ellen exhaled suddenly in John’s face. “No shit I think I heard about that guy.”

“Hey watch where you’re pointing that.”

“What kind of a freakshow pervert whips it out in a public place?”

“It was a Western Union.”

“So?”

“He wasn’t a freak.”

“Really? I heard that he was aiming it at customers. Girls and guys.”

“No he was alone. He was going through a divorce. He was walking by a Western Union and he thought that the girl looked very approachable.”

“At a Western Union?”

“Will you let him finish the story?”

“So anyway he walks in and just starts talking. The girl asks him if there is a transaction he would like to make. Only he’s already talking about other things. You know, like asking her what she thinks it takes to be accepted in the world and things like that.”

“What? He says do you want me and then he whips it out? That makes no sense.”

“Tim? Fuck off. I need to hear this.”

“So it’s like they’re speaking two different languages and neither one stops to see if the other one understands. They’re just both talking about their own things at the same time. She’s reading off a list of possible transactions. He’s going on about what it means to be accepted. Some shit about material versus physical things. When he reaches the end of his thought he opens his zipper and takes it out.”

“Fuck.”

“Interupting Ellen?”

Ellen grabs her crotch at him.

“So both of them stop talking. She is just standing there not saying anything. I mean in reality she doesn’t give a shit. She’s standing behind bullet proof glass and she’s not exactly facing a lethal weapon. So she’s just watching the show and he’s asking her if she thinks it’s big enough. Finally I guess she’s not seeing it getting any bigger so she pushes some kind of panic button. Cops show up and take him away and she finishes her shift like nothing happened.”

“So was this guy like some kind of a fucking pervert that likes to hang around school yards and shit?”

“He had never done it before. He told the cops that he hadn’t been naked in front of another person in so long that he just had to show somebody.”

“That is right out there man.”

“Well when was the last time anyone saw you naked?”

“When was the last time anyone saw you?”

“If you’re trying to win me over it’s not going to work. Although if you feel the need to whip it out Tiny Tim I won’t complain.”

“You had your chance.”

“Oh not this cab ride thing again.”

“You missed it Ellen.”

“Well the next time it’s raining and the buses aren’t running.”

“And cigarettes no longer work.”

“Good one John.”

“And we both need a cab.”

“Really?”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe you two should?”

John was about to add further comment but he saw it first.

“Car! Ellen!”

Tim turned to see the black Cadillac charge through the intersection. He jumped to push Ellen out of the way as John was frozen in place. All those nearby could only look out for themselves.

********************

“It makes me feel kinda strange waiting at this bus stop again.”

“I know doesn’t it?”

“It’s hard to accept that these things happen.”

“One day you’re thinking about a raise. And the next?”

“I heard the guy was about to become like the head of like this huge company.”

“That’s not what I heard . I heard the three of them were involved in a love triangle. The three of them were big time into drugs and the girl would have to shop herself out to pay for it.”

“Fuck why wouldn’t the guys help pay for it?”

“Well look at your guy.”

“What about him?”

“Wasn’t he involved in some kind of a thing?”

“He apparently exposed himself at a party in his college days and it followed him for the rest of his life.”

“Why would he do that?”

“Some kind of an attention seeking thing I guess. He wanted to be known.”