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An afternoon shift on the 36 had come and gone routinely, in its own colorful way. Regulars like Chuck with his mesmerizing art bike, the Hungarian man in his hard-gotten wheelchair, and a familiar older gentleman who tends to go the extra mile with politeness in a most impolite environment were bright spots smoothing the way through standard obstacles like the perpetual box-blocking line of concert-goers trailing out of the Swap Shop.
We pulled into The Hill with a couple minutes to burn on our final trip toward A1A. I stayed in the seat, still facing forward while the flow of exits and entries were a blur of final connections. In my periphery, the blur came to a standstill, at least partly, and I looked over to see what was stanching the flow. A woman stood at the door, her knowing smile glowing in the new night. Her wide eyes of joy as she held her face with both hands and stared at me made it clear she was waiting for acknowledgment.
'Wow!' Was all I could say when I realized it was our own incomparable Sunshine, resurfaced after so many months apart.
"Wow is right!" She replied with a lithe entrance, well-formed dreads framing a distinguished face.
No sooner were we out of the terminal when a young Haitian man began complaining aloud of the bus being too cold. The sun had settled and the a/c was no longer struggling against the summer heat. Our fearless friend took it upon herself to be positively contrary.
"This is delightful! You could take your clothes off in this. I could get naked!" She spun her suggestive magic.
"Where are you from?" The doubtful young man had to know.
"The islands, but I've also lived in England and New York." Her time in those cold locales certainly qualified her.
Nearing her exit, I could see her rise in the mirror-image reflection of the windshield. She held on to a stanchion as we slowed. An old, grizzled man sat nearby, drunk and slouched in his seat. She turned to him, moved closer into his personal space as only she could.
"Everything's irie. It's ok." Her kindness brought a weak smile out of his sagging cheeks. "God loves you, but you also have to love yourself."
We came to a stop, but she wasn't finished with everyone on the bus. She came in close to me and rested her hand on my shoulder. I covered it with my own as she stated, "I love you!" at a strong volume, with sweet authority, and no emphasis on any individual word.
Embarrassed that everyone was witnessing this unexpected display, I responded with my usual 'Thank you for bringing the sunshine!'
An anxious man standing beside us brought the moment to an end with an entreaty to get moving lest he miss his next connection. He made his connection that night, and so did the rest of us.
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