A Delay

Jacob was a young college student until he quit school to travel the world. He read Kerouac and bought a backpack. He went to San Francisco, New York, Mexico City. He liked bicycles but the world was too big so he used buses. Sometimes he would fall asleep on the bus and dream of elephants walking in massive herds across Africa or giant sperm whales swimming the oceans of the world for one hundred years, alone. He would dream of his father and old men he saw on the streets of these cities. They would pop up in random familiar places like his middle school English class or the supermarket. They all had big old faces with droopy cheeks and crooked jaws. They had raised families and worn suits. They had drunk beer in bars with other old men and talked about great dictators and football and women and how there was work to be done. So much work in the world! It was a great place! One of progress and reason.

He fell asleep one afternoon on the bus ride from Seattle to Boise and when he woke up a strange woman was sitting next to him. She smelled bad and had pearl earrings.

“Are you traveling alone?” she asked him, after noticing he was awake.

“Yeah, I mean, I might meet up with some people in Boise but I’m alone now.”

“Me too. I’m going to see the west! Never been out here before.” She had a strong southern accent. “I’ve got some family out here though. I’ll be staying with them. It’s cheaper that way, you know!”

He replied, “Yep,” and continued to stare out the window, avoiding her conversation. The landscape was flat and rocky. The sky was cloudy. It would soon be dark.

The bus had stopped at a gas station an hour and a half outside of Boise so people could use the bathrooms and buy a coffee. It was nighttime now and some passengers were outside smoking cigarettes. Behind the bus and away from the lights of the station, Jacob saw four red lights cherrying in front of grey faces. He got off the bus and rolled some dry tobacco, smoking by himself in the dark.

They lined up and got back on the bus at 9:39. At 9:47 they were pulling out of the parking lot and 9:48 the bus stopped. Some one screamed and the passengers were worriedly looking around, seeing only their reflections against the black windows of the bus.

They waited like this for a while until the bus driver had gone down to the street and come back and could tell them what had happened; a man had been hit by the bus as he was trying to cross the road on a dark corner. He was now lying in the street with one leg kicking and a straight arm swinging about. His friend was holding him. Their bodies were that dark grey color which made them less distinguishable as if they were made of tree bark or sand.

All the passengers went out of the bus and were standing around. Jacob thought he would be sick. Another bus would come and pick them all up in an hour. His trip had been delayed. He retreated to the other side of the bus and sat down on the curb. He was thinking about those sperm whales and all that time they had!