Urban Bus Adventure: An Enjoyable Ride

It was spring in Arizona. The trees were blooming (yes, we do have trees and, yes, they do bloom in the spring), the air was crisp and cool, birds were singing, and the sun felt warm and inviting as I stepped out of my house and walked to the bus stop. It was 7:20 a.m. and I was on my way to class. I stood at the bus stop and waited for the bus to arrive. It pulled in right on time and I boarded,greeting my driver and swiping my pass as I headed for my favorite seat in the middle of the bus. I set my backpack on the seat next to me and turned my body to face the window. It was a beautiful day and I had twenty-five minutes to just sit and enjoy it as we rolled down the street towards the university. The bus pulled away from the stop and started rumbling down the street. Traffic was its usual backed-up self with cars moving at the rate of snails and buses moving even slower, but somehow, this morning it didn't seem to matter. The bus driver was the friendly one that had been driving this route for the past two months. He was busily greeting all the passengers as they boarded the bus. I really enjoyed talking to him and he and I had become what I call bus-friends. I wouldn't attempt to talk to him now but when I returned from class in an hour we would have a nice long conversation. He was a really good driver; one of the best. He was rarely late and he always made up for it when he was. He tried to get you to your stop on time and made every attempt to make your ride as enjoyable as possible. I really liked him. I was glad he was my bus driver this morning. I opened my window just a crack and let the cool spring air rush in. It felt so good on my face; like a refreshing shower. Yes, this would be a good day. We arrived at our stop exactly on time and I gathered my belongings and headed towards the front of the bus. "Goodbye, Mac! See you in bit!" I said as I got off the bus. "Goodbye! Have a wonderful time in class!" He replied. I smiled as I headed down the sidewalk. What an enjoyable bus ride. Why couldn't they all be like that?????? Well, at least I could be thankful for that one and hope there were more like it to come. I hurried on my way to class, thankful that I had enough time to get there thanks to my bus driver.

The Girl

She sat on the examination table and wished she was any place else. It was cold as ice and the thin hospital gown was making her shiver. There was an IV hanging out of her arm. A nurse was taking two vials of blood and she felt like it was going to be an eternity before she could lie back down. The smell of chemicals burned in her nose and the bustling around of hospital staff kept her from relaxing. She wished she was somewhere else. The admitting nurse had asked questions, the tech had asked questions, the two doctors had asked questions. She had answered each of them as best she could, but she was not sure of her answers. They needed to run some tests, they needed an answer. The blood test would tell them. She lay back on the hospital bed and curled up as much as she could. She pulled the warmed blanket up to her chin and waited for the results. Cold and chills shook her body and shame and guilt gripped her heart. How could she have gotten herself in this mess? Why, why did she compromise herself that way? She knew it wouldn't be a good thing, and now she was living out the proof. What if they found something when they ran the tests? What if . . .? The thought was too terrible to complete. Her life would be devastated, her dreams would be shattered, her whole existence would be in question. The time moved slowly as she waited for someone, anyone, to come back and tell her what was going on. She tried to conquer the fear that was welling up inside her, tried to calm herself and keep from panicking.
Finally, they came. The tests had come back negative. Relief washed over her, but it was not a soothing relief. For every wave of relief there was a wave of shame that came with it. They ran some more tests to make sure everything else was alrigh. The IV came out and she slowly put her clothes back on. She wished she was somewhere else, anywhere else, and that her circumstances were different. She carefully walked out of the hospital and drove home. She took some pain killers and crawled into bed. She pulled the covers tightly over her head and prayed that sleep would come. Then she would be somewhere else, at least for a little while, and maybe, perhaps she could escape the humiliation and shame for a least a small amount of time.
Bad decisions will always come back to haunt us whether in little ways or in big, sooner or later. Living for the moment is not always the best decision and will most assuredly affect you for many moments later to come.