THE MAN WHO SPOKE WONDERS
It was very cloudy. Looked almost as if it was about to rain. But that didn't stop me from taking Kona for a walk. Kona was my beautiful Labrador retriever; chocolate with a white belly. We took walks almost every day depending upon the weather.
On this particular day, I was having problems with my ankle. I had twisted it a day earlier playing touch football with some friends. There was a bench in the park Kona and I was walking through. It was close to the road, at the bus stop. We made our way to it, and I tied Kona's leash around the leg of the freshly painted bench. I sat there for a moment, cracking my ankle back and forth, trying to get the pain to subside. It worked sometimes, but others it hurt worse. This time it seemed to be working.
There was a spit of rain that hit my jeans, followed by a very light mist. It wasn't enough to make me want to leave. It actually felt good, since the temperature was well into the mid 80s. It was warmer than it should have been this time of year.
To my right, across the street, there was a construction truck. Three men were standing outside the truck with the sewer grate open. They had a ladder going down into it, and a few tools lying besides the orange cones they used to direct the traffic around them. The three men, probably in their 40s or so, were yelling back and forth at each other, swearing up a storm. I was never one to use swear words, as I didn't see the point. There are plenty of other words you can use to express yourself without being vulgar. From where I was sitting, and what I had seen, none of the three men seemed to be in the right - it was a pointless fight.
To my left, was the playground. There were not very kids out this time of year; probably too hot for them. But there were two smaller children, around ten years of age, falling victim to a trio of older kids. It was common for older kids to show their age and bully their minors around. It showed that you had power over someone, and that's the only reason someone would bully. Deep down, they don't want to hurt anyone; they're just looking for attention.
I felt a thud next to my right, and turned to see an older gentleman had plopped down on the bench besides me. He was probably in his 70s, and had very thin gray hair. He was dressed nicely in a suit and bow tie, and his face was complemented with very thick-framed glasses. He carried an umbrella at his side, and had set it horizontally across his lap. He stared straight ahead and gently tapped his fingers on the umbrella.
The man turned to the right and looked across the street at the three workers swearing at each other. The man smiled, and then glanced to the left, looking past me. I knew he was staring at the children bickering at each other, so I joined him in looking. The two older boys were in the middle of pushing the younger ones. I moved a little, as I was about to get up and stop the bullies, and then was stopped by a hand on my shoulder.
The older man had his hand on my shoulder. I sat back down on the bench, and turned to him as he retracted his hand.
"You can't stop kids from being kids." He said.
"I know, I was just going to try and _" I began, but was immediately stopped by the old man.
"You have kid's fighting to your left, and adults fighting to your right. Don't you always find this happening?"
"Sure. It's human nature." I responded to his question.
"I have too been sick of this behavior, for quite some time now. You can't change the world. But the world can change you. Most of the time, for the worse." He said.
I sat there, not knowing exactly how to respond to this man. He was probably just talking for the heck of it; showing his age perhaps? But his words made sense. The man tapped his chest, suggesting he had something in his suit pocket.
"I have my ticket. I am taking trip away from this place." He told me, as I wondered where he could have been going on this bus. It just went across town.
"You visiting family?" I asked him.
"Sure am. I'm going to where I use to live. A place where this," he pointed to the kids and then the adults, "won't be happening. It's a much nicer place.”
I thought about how a place like that would be. This man, who I have never met before, could really make me think. He continued:
"I'm taking this trip to get away from the worlds problems. A vacation I am not sure I want to come back from. A place where there is no fighting between each other. A place where the sky is always blue, and the grass is always the greenest it can be. Where the clouds above you hold endless possibilities."
There was no place like this, and I was starting to think he might have been a little crazy. I wanted to know what destination the bus ticket in his suit pocket actually said. It was probably just the next township over. However, his speaking intrigued me. He had a very smooth voice, and it was almost soothing listening to this man speak. I let him continue:
"I want to wake up in the morning," he said, "and not have to worry about the dangers, problems and stress that lay ahead of me for the day, you know?"
"I don't think you can ever escape stress." I told him.
"You're wrong. You can escape stress. You just have to learn how to deal with it first. Then the rest is simple. Love is another reason I'm taking this trip. I've never been in love, and I know for a fact that this trip will supply me with enough love." He said as he looked down the street. Traffic was held up down the street for some reason, and there was a police barricade. I looked with him, and could see the bus that was going to be stopping here was stuck in the traffic.
The man turned to me. "Looks like an accident _probably just someone in a rush to go nowhere. It happens all the time. People put total strangers in danger just to accomplish something for themselves. Is that what life has come to in this day?"
I just nodded my head. I agreed with what he was saying. People now a days are ridiculous. Then I thought of what he said a few minutes ago, and asked, "You have never been in love?"
"No. Never. I mean, I was married for 55 years, but was that love? Or just a way to pass the time?
Now he had me hooked. This guy was either crazy, or the most intellectual man I have ever spoke too. "What do you mean? Time passer?" "You know. Someone to be with until you finally get to take this 'trip'? Trust me. Everything you have every wanted will be at the end of this trip. The happiness shared by all. The smiles. The inspiration. The incredible feeling of success and amorousness." He said.
By this time, I was stunned. I wanted to know where this place was he was talking about. "Sir, if you don't mind my asking. What does your bus ticket say?"
"Why do you wonder? Do you too want to go?"
"Yes. This place sounds like the perfect place to be.”
"If I were you," the old man began, "I would get your ticket, and go as soon as you can, and while you're young. I should have taken this trip many, many years ago." He said smiling. The man took a deep breath and stared straight ahead again.
I heard the sounds of cars getting close. I turned and saw that the traffic had broken up and the bus was on it way. Some cars were already passing by us. I turned to the old man. "It was nice talking to you sir. Here comes your bus, and I hope you have a great time where ever it is you're going."
The old man turned and looked me in the eye. "Thank you young man, I will enjoy myself. But I'm not taking that bus."
I must have had a confused look on my face, as he starred back at me with a hint of a 'you_didn't_know_that?' look.
"But you said you had a ticket out of here?" I asked. The old man responded by opening up his suit coat and revealing a pistol.
"I do have a ticket out of here.”