From the journals of WTG: Buses, Beaches and a bombing brunette

A peculiar incident or better yet, a matter of serendipity occurred while riding the bus home one mid-June afternoon that compelled me to jot it down so it doesn't escape my mind (Although I can’t see how it ever would)

The 5:45pm bus from downtown LA to LAX was rather empty on this humid Friday afternoon however it's wasn’t uncommon because most people are either off on Friday’s, leave early or drive in. Whatever the reason, it was empty enough to pick any spot on the bus so I chose a seat near the back exit doors. The bus departed from 7th & Flower Street and I was finally heading home notwithstanding a few stops. We breezed through downtown as there were no people at the other stops so it was straight onto the freeway. I had my nose buried in Hemingway's ‘The Sun Also Rises’ when I noticed the bus was slowing to a stop. Damn, the USC stop. I forgot about that one. An unusual stop as it seldom stop’s here Monday through Thursday during summer, let alone a late Friday afternoon. Oh well, my mind wasn't too fixated on reading anyway as I was envisioning the weekend in my head which was filled with the things I want to do and the dreadful things I have to do when suddenly I looked up for a moment and noticed a beautiful young gal boarding the bus. She was medium height with a toned figure. Her features were stunning; hair was long and walnut brown, eyes were deep blue and skin was tan and she had very nice, athletic looking legs. She was wearing a white tee shirt with a red & gold USC embroidered logo, a short denim skirt and red flip-flops which matched her red-painted toe nails. Now that’s school spirit. She made her way down the isle looking over the available seats carefully as if she were in the produce section of the market looking over the veggies when for a brief moment our eyes met. She gave a cordial smile and moved toward the back, where I was, and sat in the seat across from me. Wow, of all the places to sit on this empty bus.

The bus jerked forward but transitioned into a smooth, steady speed as it merged with traffic onto the freeway. I noticed she was rummaging through her back pack and I couldn't help but notice again her youthful beauty. I thought, shit, just what I needed, a distraction all the way home. What compelled her to sit next to me anyway? Now I'm really not going to read but I must make my appearance as so, in order not to look so obvious. "Hi" she said in a low by cheery tone. For a moment I was dumbfounded and numb. "Hello. Um, I'm Willis. How are you?" me sounding as formal as in the conference room. "Good thanks. I noticed your reading Hemingway. I like his work. Have you read much of his work?" Wow, are you kidding me I thought. I'm a Hemingway aficionado and could speak very well on his works and his life. "Um, yeah I've read some of his stuff. I sorta like his style of writing." I said so sheepishly.

She turned slightly in her seat to face me and said "My dad loves reading Hemingway and he used to read to me some of his stories, like the Nick Adams stories. I read more Hemingway in high school and quickly identified it with my dad so I really enjoyed reading his stuff" She spoke very confidently which left me feeling rather awkward because I usually speak with a high degree of confidence on book topics however, I was rather intimidated by her youthful beauty and robust personality.

The traffic up ahead indicated that it was going to be a lengthy ride home which meant I'll have more time to see where this interesting encounter will lead. "Yeah, I like the Nick Adams stories, particularly the Big Two Hearted River. That one is my favorite of the Nick Adams stories" I said more confidently. Actually, there was a hint of boasting in my tone as I was wagering that she hadn’t read that one as it seems geared more for guys; hiking alone, single story character, no other characters or dialogues, many camping and fishing details. "Yeah, I looooove that one!" She exclaimed. "It totally reminds me of when my dad used to take us camping down by the river and we'd get up early to go fishing. Gosh that was fun" Damn, she's NOT the girly-girl that I first perceived her to be. "So where are you from" I asked. "Great Falls, Montana. You?" Now wait a minute. How can this be? I mean, she's very attractive, she loves the outdoors, she likes Hemingway which leads me to believe she probably fancies some of the other classics writers I prefer and she's from the place I want most to visit ... Montana. I hesitated for a moment and was looking beyond her and out the window as my mind was twirling. "Are you from here?" she repeated slowly as if I didn't hear her the first time. "Oh Yeah, sorry. Yes, I'm a native. We seem to be a dying breed as there’s not too many of us." Whew, I barley pulled that off. "Wow, I've always wanted to visit Montana. It looks so beautiful and wide open there. No traffic. No smog or big city crowds. Do you miss it?" "I do but I really like it out here as there's so much to do and I love the ocean. I usually go down there after school, like now" My heart starting racing. "So, you're heading down there now by yourself?" I asked in a bewildering tone. "Yeah, well, a couple of friends are coming later and we're going to meet up for dinner and a couple of drinks. I just didn't want to sit around and wait from them" she said. "It looks like it’s going to be a nice sunset so I wanted to walk along the beach then sit and watch the sun go down" she said as she gently combed her fingers through her silky hair.
As I too turned in my seat to face her, I said" Yeah, the beach is really nice and though I cherish the times spent there I'm ready to chart into different areas. I really want to experience for myself the wonder and beauty of Montana".
She was listening so intently that it made me a nervous, as if I were in grammar school again taking a pop-quiz. "I've seen many photos of Montana and I can't explain my yearning to go there but I suppose it will all come to me once I get there" She leaned over towards me and said very softly "It's such a beautiful and peaceful place. If that's where your heart beckons you then you should follow it. Life’s too short, ya know ?" She slowly leaned back into her seat. I was numb. So many thoughts and emotions were running wild in my head like kids on the playground at recess. Wait a minute. Kids. I've got two of my own AND a wife. Life sometimes tests our devotion and teases our emotions.

"Well, hopefully one day soon. I'm getting older now and want to go there soon so that I can still scale some of the mountains and run through open meadows with good strength" I said in a manner fishy for something. "Older? You don't look too old" she said matter-of-factly. Just the in I was looking for! "Well I'm 45 so perhaps numerically I might be however, I feel as youthful as ever". Just then her cell phone started ringing. Buzz kill ! She grabbed her phone to see who was calling "Oh, go ahead and take that if you need to" I said as I turned back in my seat facing forward. She looked it over then hit the ignore button and muttered "Nah, that's okay. “So" she said with a bit of hesitation as she tucked her phone back into her pack "45 huh, that isn't old. I think men in their 40’s tend to be ....... charming" she said in a moderate flirtatious tone and with an inviting grin.

We had gotten past the bottle-neck on the Harbor freeway and were coming onto the 105 overpass which meant I'll be at the park-and-ride within 15 minutes. "Where are you getting off" I asked with much enthusiasm. "I’m getting off on Beach Boulevard and Highland so I can go down to the Manhattan Beach pier. I like to walk on their pier and watch the surfers. It looks like so much fun and I'd really like to try it someday while I’m out here" she said. Now I don't know what to think. Is this really happening? "Oh it's a lot of fun once you get the hang of it" I said in a baiting manner. "Wait, you surf?” she asked excitingly. I nodded yes. “You're gonna have to teach me!" she exclaimed with a bit of a giggle. Now I’m well aware that statements such as these are not meant to be taken literally but I took the bait anyway "Sure. I've got great boards to learn on and the water is pretty warm right now so it would be a great time to go out if you really want to try it" She again looked at her cell phone and opened it up and began texting. I wondered for a moment if I was too forward in asking but then she replied "Okay, you name is Willis right? What's your number?" Without any hesitation I gave it to her however I didn't ask for hers. That was my specious, self- convincing logic that I wasn't being completely unfaithful in my act of duplicity. "There, you’re entered." She said as she turned once again towards me "The summer semester is nearly over thank god but fall semester is nearing so I want to try it before I get too busy with school, okay?" she asked. "Sure. Just give me a call and we can meet up somewhere in Manhattan Beach" "All right, Cool" she said exuberantly as she put her phone back in her pack.

The bus was exiting La Ceinega Boulevard and was now 2 blocks from my stop. I reached up and pulled the request to stop wire. She asked" Getting off here huh?" "Yeah, I live here in El Segundo however the bus doesn't make any stops close to my house so I have to drive here to catch the bus." The bus was now briefly stopped at the intersection Imperial Highway and Aviation; 40-feet from my stop. I stood up, reached down and grabbed my satchel extended my hand. "Ya know, we've been talking all this time and I never asked you your name and yet you know mine. I think you have the upper hand here" I said jokingly "I’m Sarah. It was really nice meeting you Willis" she said. She had a pleasant hand shake which was not limp however not too firm either. "Don't forget, I want to learn how to surf so when I call don't think of me as some dork, okay?" she said laughingly. She's got to be kidding, her, a dork? "Oh I won't. Have a great time at the beach and with your friends tonight. Be well and take care." The bus came to a stop and I pushed the rear door open and began to step out. I briefly turned around to get one last look and to my amazement she was looking back at me. "Bye" I said and she replied with a warm smile "Bye"

The bus left the stop and I stood there staring at the bus growing smaller as it headed west towards the descending sun which was hovering over the beach. I was almost in a trance, trying to re-play the past 35-minute encounter and compact it into a single moment. I got to my car and drove home and kept the radio off. I was in sort a daze as I was uncertain if that was a real encounter or did I really fall asleep and was dreaming of something out of a Hemingway novel.

Well, here it is, Labor Day; the unofficial last day of summer and Sarah never called. This doesn't surprise me though and in fact gives me some relief because of the fear of what if she did call and what would I do? Would I have ignored the call or would I have agreed to meet her and give her a surfing lesson. I've sorta of concluded that sometimes tests are put to the forefront to see how we will act or react but in this strange case, I knew deep down she wasn't going to call. There were too many enticing things that led me to believe this wasn’t real and that it won’t come to fruition but heck, I played along anyway. At the very least it made the bus ride home on that early summer afternoon the most joyous occasion one could have commuting home on public transportation. After concluding my thoughts on all of this, an old school-yard verse came to mind; "The wheels on the bus go round and round" because in life, with all of its routines can ostensibly spin in the same, perpetual circle but every now and then, the bus makes an unanticipated and very interesting stop.