Page 21 of The Second Chance Bus Stop
Svedala
Lina is here, coming in for her usual morning break. And she clearly overheard the conversation that just took place.
‘Yes, so he said.’
Oh no . She can’t possibly think that—
‘You should totally go together! Would you believe—what a coincidence!—you both are heading the same way. I’d say sharing
is caring, and also half the price in fuel would help balance that spreadsheet even faster.’
‘I really wouldn’t mind,’ I hear Funeral Crasher say. By now I’ve decided that he is most likely a red dragon, Persicaria microcephalia , which is prized for the beauty of their leaves but can be invasive and will need to be controlled.
‘Oh, sorry, I was joking,’ Lina says and I see Blade ( Blade? Who is called Blade? Did his parents confuse the Baby Names book with a tool brochure?) going a shade of purple. He’s awkward and anxious. I can spot it from miles away.
‘Oh. Right, obviously. Okay. I’m off. Thank you for your time. And good luck with your tour.’
I look to see if Blade has left, but he is eyeing up some cacti very closely in the corner of the shop. Finally. He looks back over his shoulder then leaves and lets the door close itself.
Lina hops onto my counter.
‘Okay, maybe I wasn’t entirely joking. It was a sort of interesting idea,’ she says.
‘Maddening? Bizarre? Outrageous?’ I offer as alternative, more fitting adjectives, covering my eyes with my hands.
‘So... if a cute stranger with a spacious RV and an offer to share fuel costs is not part of the plan, then what is the plan, exactly?’
‘I didn’t notice any cuteness.’ It’s true, my brain sees details. Wrinkles, hairs, red lines in eyes. Blade has a mole on
his neck, a small spot which may be a skin blemish on his upper arm and hair that stands up in a funny way on the left side.
His left eye is slightly bigger than his right, and his back teeth are pointy.
‘I forgot. Looks are wasted on you.’
‘Besides, the answer is no.’
I know something for sure: I am not joining Funeral Crasher in a mobile home with all my flowers. He isn’t my only option,
nor is he the best one. It turns out he isn’t a customer either as he left without buying anything.
‘All I know is he is cute and he is heading the same direction as you and he does already have a storage solution for this
growing problem. Some people might call that a sign.’
‘Some people should leave subject signs alone and focus their energy elsewhere.’ I tap at the screen of my laptop. I will
squeeze everything I need into my little car, even if it means holding a flowerpot on my lap.
Later that night, trying to fall asleep, I find myself going over the blemishes on Blade’s face.
Except something happens differently this time, and my mind start to count the long lashes he has instead.
And traces the outline of his jaw. And the shape of his upper arm.
This isn’t going to put me to sleep, is it?
Why hasn’t this happened with other people?
Even with Ed, who was a highly attractive and accomplished man and who I went as far as to kiss, I could never move on from the coffee stain on his front tooth where my brain would fixate, and I’d find myself snoring within minutes.
This is... different .