A quarter before midnight.  It was one rainy Tuesday evening and the roads were very slippery.  Good thing it was Jimmy’s last trip for the night.  It was a bit difficult to see the roads, and it reminded him of “zero visibility.”  Five more stops and I could finally call it a day.

He was certainly tired having worked 10-hour-shifts for 3 consecutive days.  Boy, he was famished!  Jimmy could almost smell the scrumptious home-cooked carbonara his wife prepared for him.  His mouth watered in anticipation, and he got even hungrier by the minute.  He could hear his stomach rumbling as if begging him to fill it STAT.

The bus was near empty except for 3 passengers, all probably thinking of their warm and cozy beds after a long, miserable day.  It had been raining since midday, and the gloomy atmosphere affected everybody’s mood.

Two of the riders alighted at the next stop.

“Cheers, mate,” said the man. 

“Alright, ta-ta,” he said.  He must have muttered these same words a thousand times today, it was almost automatic and he sounded robotic.

The couple stepped out to the wet pavement, trying to squeeze themselves under one umbrella.  They held hands and went on their way.  Jimmy thought of his wife, Lara.  How he missed her today!  A few more stops and it’s ‘home, sweet home’ for me.  He let out a sigh of relief.

He started working for the bus company Thursday last week.  The previous driver, Johnny, just did not show up one day according to his co-workers, and no one knew where he was.  He just suddenly went AWOL so it was an immediate position to be filled. Too bad for Johnny; lucky for him.  Especially now that there is a baby on the way.  Jimmy smiled at the thought.

DING!

Someone pushed the bell.  So far, it was the most beautiful sound he heard today.

It was the last stop before he could head back to the depot.  He opened the doors and waited for someone to step out.  No one did.  It puzzled him.

He looked back and checked the rear of the vehicle.  He scratched his balding head – no one was there.