“Sir, you need to pay or step off the bus.”
For illustrative purposes only
The old man froze at the front, clutching the daisies. His voice trembled. “I… I must’ve left my wallet at home. Please, I just need to get to the next stop. I’m meeting someone. It’s important.”
“Can’t let you ride without paying,” the driver replied flatly. “Rules are rules.”
The man’s shoulders sagged. He stared at the flowers as if they might hold the answer.
Behind me, a woman in a business suit sighed. “There’s some drama every single day!”
Someone else groaned. “Come on, we’re all going to be late.”
A man called out, “Just get off, man. Some of us have jobs.”
The old man flushed red with embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”
I don’t know why I did it. Maybe it was the way he held those flowers so carefully, or maybe it was remembering the times I’d fumbled for my own card while people huffed behind me. Or maybe I was just tired of watching cruelty.
I pushed forward and tapped my card again.
“It’s okay,” I said, meeting the driver’s irritated stare. “I’ve got him.”
The driver looked at me like I’d ruined his day, but he waved the man through.
“Thank you,” the man whispered, his eyes damp. “Thank you so much, young lady.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I replied.
He followed me to an empty seat, lowering himself carefully as if his bones might protest. He laid the daisies across his lap, adjusting them so they wouldn’t be crushed.
For illustrative purposes only
We sat in silence until the bus lurched back into traffic. I pulled out my phone, but then he spoke.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“It’s really not a big deal,” I said. “It’s like $2.”
