Morning Bus Rides

7th Stop-The Revelation

All was well. Leo never breathed a word to his wife about Dana, while the latter remained in the dark about his real background. But as the saying goes, secrets are made to be revealed, and hearts, broken.

One morning, Leo took on a leave from his work. He accompanied his wife Marlene on a trip to the hospital, for the routine check-up from the OB Gyne. They had to board the bus as well. As they made their way to the crowd lining up for the bus, Leo hoped that Dana won't see them. More so, he hoped Marlene won't ever find out about Dana.

He let Marlene board in the bus first. As Leo was about to take a step, he looked to his left and to his horror, saw Dana standing from afar, looking at them listlessly. 

A wave of shock flashed across her face, her mouth agape. Leo didn't know what to do; should he run after her or board the bus now? Marlene happened to be seated on the window side, and should he decide to run after Dana, Marlene would surely wonder why the heck he's chasing some random girl?

For a while, time stopped between them. Leo looked helplessly at Dana, while she looked back at him. He thought he saw her bit her lip, until he confirmed the streak of tear drop on her cheek.

He wished he could explain everything to her.

But he had to board the bus now. As he did, he sat beside Marlene. "What took you so long?" she asked, without any idea that he's this close to cheating on her.

"Nothing, I just thought I left something at home," he replied dryly. 

The truth is, he left his heart with Dana, whose heart he just broke.

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(Dana's POV)

Dana remained standing by the empty bus terminal. Her mind was at a lost over what she just saw this morning.

Leo was with a woman. She was about to meet him on that bus, when she caught sight of him and a woman with her. Not only that, her gaze went downward to his left hand, and his ring finger had a silver ring on it.

One thing's for sure: Leo is married.

All the hope of him in her heart shattered into pieces.

Tears streaked down from her eyes as she ran back all the way to her dorm building. She didn't cared about the people she bumped into along the way, she just had to locked herself away from the rest of the world. She certainly won't be able to go to school with a face like that, soaked with tears.

As soon as she entered her room, she banged the door close and locked it. She slumped on her bed, crying, with no one to comfort her. 

How could you? 

She realized how crazy in love she was with him. Only to find out that he was cheating on his wife with her. If only feelings can be undone. But it was too late now.

Dana wept bitterly. She hated him now, yet still loved him and the fantasy of him in her heart.

She stayed in bed the whole day, watched TV, and ate her supply of mixed nuts and breakfast cereals. Later on, her roommate, Alexis, found her in a heap on the bed. She asked Dana what's wrong, and she spilled the beans on her morning bus rides with Leo.

Alexis soothed and hugged her while she cried for the nth time. "Don't meet him anymore, girl. Tomorrow, you take a different route to the Uni," she advised the inconsolable Dana.

"Is it wrong for me to have fallen for him?" Dana asked tearfully.

"No. You didn't know he was married, right? He's the dishonest one. He should have told you earlier he was married... But he's such a douche. I guess cheating on his wife was really done on purpose," Alexis said. "Now, don't cry too much, okay? Tonight, I'll treat you out to dinner."

Dana just buried her face on her friend's shoulder. "Thanks," she said through her muffled voice.

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Late into the night, Leo was restless. He decided to go to the bus stop, even if he was in his night clothes and a robe. It wasn't a far walk from his place. As soon as he arrived there, the place was bathed in moonlight and streetlights. The place was empty, as deserted as his heart.

Leo sat in one of the terminal benches, took out a pen and a sticky note, and wrote something. He stood up afterwards, and walked to the waiting shed, where he posted the sticky note on one of the walls with an ad poster. Then he walked away and got himself a bottle of beer from a nearby convenience store. He would drink it in the living room with Marlene asleep in their bedroom.

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It was a weekend the next day. Dana woke up with a stuffy nose due to the crying she did the night before. She had her usual breakfast, while Alexis was still asleep on the bed near to her.

For some reason, she found herself walking to the bus stop where she and Leo usually met. Dana sat in the waiting shed, looking at the few people who boarded the bus today. There was no usual weekday trip this Saturday.

Dana happened to look at the ad sign near her. She saw a sticky note taped to it. She then stood up and took it. It read:

"Dana, I'm sorry. Forgive me."

Tears welled up in her eyes again. Dana crumpled the note in her hand and threw it down, stomping it with her foot.

How can you undo something that's already been done?

But she was still in love with him. She wished love could be erased as soon as it happen.

(To be continued)

A/N: Picture not mine. I hate to break the heart of Dana.