The Bus

Bus No. 78

"What's wrong, Mike?"

"Sorry Sir. The engine is overheated and we have run out of coolant." said Mike as he wiped his greased hands on a clean handkerchief.

"Is there a gas station nearby or maybe a mechanic?" The voice of the man in suit sounded concerned as he pulled down the window and looked over to Mike.

"I don't think we will find any within the radius of three kilometers. You may miss the flight at this rate. Let me check if I can call a taxi." Mike was checking his smartphone when he heard a bus approaching.

"Sir, I think there is a bus approaching." The man in the suit got down from his car and checked his watch. He still had at least 2 hours left before his flight. This flight was very important and he could not afford to miss it. It was his last chance to save his company. The Japanese investors were his only option now; otherwise he would have to file for bankruptcy. With creased brow marring his forehead, the man in his mid-30s stood on the side of the highway and signaled for the bus to stop.

The bus no. 78 stopped and its door opened, "Where to, Sir?" asked the driver.

"Airport?" replied the man.

"Get in. It's on the way." said the driver.

"Mike, I will take the bus then. Take care of the car and catch the next possible flight."

"Yes sir."

The man stepped into the bus. There were two students in their uniform sitting, a young woman, a pregnant woman and an old man in the back. He made his way to the seats in the back.

As he relaxed knowing he would not miss the flight, his thoughts drifted to the tough times he was going through. The Cisco Co. was a company he invested his whole youth on. The company was his only investment in his life, not the family or the love that he lost. He had risked his all in it- his youth, his love, his happiness. He couldn't lose this now. The company had already laid off many staffs, a new investment was what it urgently needed.

He brows creased again as he evaluated his chances of procuring the investment. A deep sigh left his mouth without even realizing.

"Oh boy, you look so pitiful." a sound came from behind. Robin turned around his head to see the old man looking at him with concerning eyes.

"I am fine." He replied. He had to be. Hundreds of people depended on his capability to persuade the board of investors.

"No. You are not." Robin's face had worry written all over it, "Is it work?" asked the old man, George.

"Yes." A short answer seemed fit to satisfy the old man's inquisitiveness.

Old George started narrating his life story to the very uninterested young man. He talked about his youth when he thought he could defy the gravity and fly in the sky; the war he fought in the name of a country; the essence of time and the lesson it brought to him; his love for a woman and the family he had with her; and the joy of simple things and how it makes up our whole life.

"Wow. You had an interesting life." The young man wasn't so indifferent to George's words and enjoyed the distraction it provided from his thoughts.

On not getting a reply from the old man, he looked back again to find George lost in his thoughts and mists in his eyes. It seemed like the old man was having his life playing before his eyes and he was affixed to it. It made Robin wonder what moments will he remember when he is on his deathbed. He hardly had any good memories to begin with. There was only work in his life. And he couldn't even remember the name of his first project.

As the bus pulled to a stop, Robin felt a hand placed on his shoulder. It was the old man ready to leave the bus, "I don't remember any of my achievements. I only remembered how I lived. Take it easy boy." said the old man like he had read the thoughts in his mind.

The young man watched as George got off the bus and walked away while smiling and greeting to the people on his way.

This made him look around at the people on the bus. There was the pregnant woman with her hands placed on her belly like it was protecting it. Another lady wore the black suit of an office worker with her head hung low, and she had a card box filled with her stuffs. She looked like she had left the job she was working for or did she get fired? And the only other people in the bus were the two high school kids bantering at each other.

"Stop it, Brayden. Stop bugging me. You know you are a bully. " said the young girl with flushed cheeks. The boy sitting behind her had whispered something in the girl's ear. The boy laughed at her embarrassment. He found her so gullible and cute. If he were to be honest with himself, he actually liked with the girl and wanted her attention.

A small smile formed on Robin's lips. The kids reminded him of his first love, Sabrina. They were young and innocent when they fell in love. But everything changed as they grew. She started desiring more money and materials. The materialistic world tainted their love and it grew weak. Sabrina moved to the city one sudden day, leaving him heartbroken. He had decided then that he too would run after the money. He had not heard from Sabrina ever since the day she left. He wondered where she could be but never dared to find her.