"The next stop is Wilson Street," a computer operator informed the passengers on the bus. John flipped the ink-stained newspaper page and skimmed through the news article about yet another armed robbery. He sighed.
John's head shot up when a familiar laugh caught his attention. "Oh, no, he didn't," a raven-haired beauty proclaimed and shook her head. John's jaw dropped, and he hoisted himself on his cane in the moving bus. "Karen," he whispered to himself as he moved closer to her. "Karen!" he called.
She and three other teenage girls turned to him with a scowl on each of their faces. "Who?" she asked.
"Karen, it's me," John explained.
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about," she rolled her green eyes and turned back towards her friends and laughed.
"Karen please-" John began before a loud slap crashed down on his face and caused him to trip on his cane and tumble to the ground.
"Stay away from me, Old Man," she sneered.
John elevated himself off the ground, despite all the burning eyes on him.
The bus slowed to a stop just as John got up. He limped out of the bus where the cold winter air greeted him.
Why did Karen act like she had no idea who I was? John thought to himself.
He reached into the front pocket of his parka and pulled out a creased picture of Karen and himself. He examined her young face and concluded she, in fact, was the girl on the bus. His eyes glazed over the date on that picture, December 24, 1972.
YOU ARE READING
In the Blink of an Eye
Short StoryLife is short. It can change swiftly before you even realize it; it can change in the blink of an eye. A short story told in a series of 3 events tells the story of John. His life was all fun and games until it ended in a fiery blaze.
