Today I have no classes. Some friends and I planned a couple weeks ago to use this day for a Goodwill hunt. I woke up this morning and decided I needed to take a shower even though my time was limited and my mother warned me not to leave the house before loading and running the dishwasher. With ten minutes left according to Trimet tracker, and the thought that I might not make it sinking in, I pushed myself to figure out what to wear. This should not be as difficult as it sometimes is. I dressed as easily as I could: pants, tunic, yesterday's socks, clunky zip-up snow boots, jacket and small backpack over the shoulder. Now dishes. Five minutes still? These are the times that I appreciate that my dad tries to prepare a pile of dishes on the side counter for the next run. He does a mediocre job getting the gunk off, but half the time that's all you need. The other half I took care of. Loaded. I began to push the racks back into the machine but my mom pointed out room for one more dish; I had to put it in. All ready but the soap, I checked Trimet tracker again, retaining hope that maybe the notoriously late local bus might be just late enough. One minute! I swept the soap to the basin in the dishwasher door, snapped lids, and ran. 36 met me at the corner and I wondered gratefully at the purpose of such fortune.
Second stop, I stepped off the bus into the realization that my day pass was missing. There was enough cash in my wallet for a two hour pass to get me to my destination where from I could figure out my way home. The weight of disappointment seemed a fair balance to my more positive feelings earlier. I sat at the stop for a considerable amount of time until I noticed I was at the wrong stop 1 minute before the bus was to arrive. After consulting Maps for redirection, I swept across 3 or 4 blocks onto the scene of a homeless man pulling a cart. A bag fell off the top. I paused, waiting for him to notice. He didn't. I ran to pick it up and carried it back to him and he thanked me. I responded somehow then swept on with a tinge of superficial busyness. The next bus arrived soon enough.
Third stop, I was supposed to be at my destination but it didn't look right. Is this my aunt's street? It's my aunt's street. By this time I was seriously considering the possibility that this adventure could be one of some unknown importance. I might as well drop by. The small trees along the sidewalk had grown thicker and created a partial tunnel about a foot above my head as I approached and a fluffy black and white cat greeted me at her front yard.
I rang the doorbell. She answered welcomingly, her voice soft and airy, and in her bathrobe and apologized for not being in a more presentable state. I told her not to worry and apologized for not giving her any warning. We caught up in the kitchen after she offered me a meal, something I definitely needed, and gradually moved to the dining room. She spoke about her new roommate which led us to topics of MBTI and Feminism. She and I have a lot in common. I told her about the purpose of my journey and she said she'd give me ride to my destination after she took a shower. So after our late breakfast I relocated to her couch as she washed.
It probably took her about an hour. I realized I hadn't mentioned I planned to meet people an hour ago and thus lay there, anxious about letting my friends down, thinking about the things I needed to do. I'd gotten a new job very recently and began to ask myself "What have I done?" Some weeks I had no free days. I told myself to relax, I set this day aside, there's nothing I could do but calm myself and wait. Eventually she came back downstairs. I would have bussed away earlier, but she seemed to like the idea of chatting some more.
The rest of the day was cloudier, perhaps literally as well as figuratively. I cannot fully recall. Nothing seemed to resolve as I expected, though I did meet up with folks and made it home without issue.
Maybe someone found my day pass.
Third stop, I was supposed to be at my destination but it didn't look right. Is this my aunt's street? It's my aunt's street. By this time I was seriously considering the possibility that this adventure could be one of some unknown importance. I might as well drop by. The small trees along the sidewalk had grown thicker and created a partial tunnel about a foot above my head as I approached and a fluffy black and white cat greeted me at her front yard.
I rang the doorbell. She answered welcomingly, her voice soft and airy, and in her bathrobe and apologized for not being in a more presentable state. I told her not to worry and apologized for not giving her any warning. We caught up in the kitchen after she offered me a meal, something I definitely needed, and gradually moved to the dining room. She spoke about her new roommate which led us to topics of MBTI and Feminism. She and I have a lot in common. I told her about the purpose of my journey and she said she'd give me ride to my destination after she took a shower. So after our late breakfast I relocated to her couch as she washed.
It probably took her about an hour. I realized I hadn't mentioned I planned to meet people an hour ago and thus lay there, anxious about letting my friends down, thinking about the things I needed to do. I'd gotten a new job very recently and began to ask myself "What have I done?" Some weeks I had no free days. I told myself to relax, I set this day aside, there's nothing I could do but calm myself and wait. Eventually she came back downstairs. I would have bussed away earlier, but she seemed to like the idea of chatting some more.
The rest of the day was cloudier, perhaps literally as well as figuratively. I cannot fully recall. Nothing seemed to resolve as I expected, though I did meet up with folks and made it home without issue.
Maybe someone found my day pass.
Your writing is very good, and you've developed a unique voice. Unusual for someone in the early stages of being a writer.
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