Lessons
"Hey, young man.." a voice called out, he opened his eyes slowly to find an old man sat next to him. "Hello sir," he greeted back.
"Are you alright son?" the old man asked. He took his time to answer that question. He looked around the bus to see if anyone was listening, but there was no one in there but the two of them. "How long did I sleep?... I need to get off the bus" he said looking worried. "Relax young blood, the bus is yet to arrive at your destination, now please answer my question." The man said in return.
"No, I'm not okay." He looked down slowly. For a moment he had forgotten. For a moment there was peace. For a moment it all seemed like a distant imagination, now the memories came back and he continued to feel.
The old man turned towards his pocket pulled out a cigar and lit it up. He began to smoke. "I know what or how you feel," as he spoke smoke came out his mouth and allover the place where they sat.
John, was what he was called and this was the name given to him by his mother, but he liked to go by Swift. Swift, the name he liked more than his real one. He said it had meaning, none of his friends knew what it meant, neither do I nor do you too, unless you can read his mind, coughed out the smoke he inhaled passively and with disgust turned towards the old man and spoke to him rudely, "could you please go smoke somewhere else, my life has just gone up in flames and the last thing I want is smoke." But the old man laughed, his browned teeth showing, probably from the smoking and drinking he did, there was a hint of alcohol in his breath, he seemed like a man who lived life the old way, a bottle of alcohol and a cigar at a time.
"That is what you could've started with." He put off his cigar and put it back into his shirt pocket and pulled out a small bottle of alcohol from the same pocket and had one last swig of it. "You know what, young blood," The bus grinded to a halt and he got up. "Walk with me...." He said as he made his way towards the open door. He turned back and beckoned at swift. He had no other option as the bus wouldn't leave anymore. It had arrived at it's final destination, which was nowhere near where Swift expected to alight. He had question lots of them, the bus ticket he bought was for North City, this wasn't North City, he hadn't ever seen this place his whole life.
Reluctantly he got up and followed the old man who seemed to have left nonetheless, and as swift stepped down the last step and made his way down the small dusty path, did he see the old man up ahead. He walked fast unlike for someone his age and Swift made quick with his feet trying to catch up. He had moved a few metres away from the bus and was rethinking the choice to follow the man,he turned back only to find the bus gone. How, he asked, how, you ask too. I guess it did disappear but how does that happen, physical things don't just merely cease to exist, this question however remains to be answered.
end of part three .......
written by Alvin....
