Matias (4)

The air brakes hissed and Matias’ body jerked forward until his arm came to rest on the seat in front of him. He had never been a fan of buses. As passengers shuffled off, unfurling umbrellas to shield themselves against the endless downpour, Matias wondered where he was headed. Where was he now. Maybe he should leave Boston for good. Julie wanted him gone as much as he was inclined to stay. That had been the real reason he hung around, that and his lack of an automobile.

Next to Matias sat an unwashed man in a tattered suit, with the kind of grin that one sees in asylum inmates. Matias had done his best to sit out of the way of this man, but his efforts were in vain. At every turn, every stop, the man would fall over this way and that, as if he had no balance or no care. He was always smiling. His eyes weren’t smiling though. They were pleading. Matias saw the pleading, and simply shuffled to the left. He had no time for pleading.

-David