CM Gonzales

A Chance at a Life Unlike Mine

Allen hails a bus. He is absent-minded, face ashen, eyes red and swollen. He has never had a discreet crying face and all his life he’s avoided such occasions. He boards the bus and recognizes the driver, sees her face almost daily and today feels like any other workday he’s grind through. Some days a friendly chatter between them, she observes that today he must need his space. She fell quiet, hands on the wheel, and gave him a nod as he took the steps up and towards the back, taking the same seat he usually takes at the deepest corner of the bus where he can view three beautifully lit parks along the way home to the far suburbs. He feels his shirt pocket for the stiff envelope, recalling his disbelief at its contents and still finding it difficult to accept. The surprise gain of a great loss. The ride is long enough to process the remains of a day that will change his life forever.