I'm just visiting

She climbed up the bus steps one by one. Each felt heavier than the last. It has been a long time since she had boarded one of these buses. It was old and worn down. It relied on the wind as air conditioning. The engine sounded like it could die anytime. The interior was mostly wood, some of which were greatly decayed by time or termites, she couldn't make out. The seats were once velvet wrapped but now some of them have only the inner sponge to show.

"Are you crippled or what? Move on!" the driver yelled as a long line of his passengers jammed up behind her. She nodded embarrassingly and tried to find the most comfortable seat that she could find. It wasn't easy. Before she could find one, she gave up and just took up the best of the worst lot. She sat down and tried to make herself comfortable or at least look comfortable.

The passengers settled themselves as the driver went first gear to get the bus moving. Move it did but at a pace so unfamiliar to her. It was slow and she had forgotten this long after she decided life in the city was better. She got accustomed to the microwave society and lost that slow-paced self.

"Haven't seen you in these parts before," came a voice. It startled her for she was busy looking out the window to see miles and miles of green, a sight she had long forgotten and a sight enough to make her unaware of a stranger taking seat beside her.

She smiled at him and nodded.

"Where are you from?" the stranger asked. She stayed silent a while and smiled again. He smiled back and looked away, probably thinking how weird she was.

He looked stout, wearing a white shirt and jeans. She noticed his skin and giggled silently for it was more burnt than tanned. He had wavy hair, as it flew so gracefully when the wind blew straight at their faces. It was a rare sight again for her for most men she knew in the city were either bald or had hair spiked up like cactus thorns. But this man seemed decent.

"Where are you headed?" he asked while looking forward, already aware that she was studying him.

When no reply came again this time, he turned, already ready to address her apparent rudeness. Just as he did, he was met with a yellow note.

She nodded, smiled and jerk the note a bit, a motion to tell him to take the note. He took it hesitatingly and it read, "Hello. I'm just visiting." with a smiley face at the bottom right of the note.

She smiled embarrassingly and rotated her right fist over her heart in a few clockwise motions.

He pointed at her pen and she handed it to him obligingly. He scribbled on the yellow note and handed it back to her.

She took it and as she read, she let out a big smile, this time a genuine and happy one.

"Welcome!" with a huge grinning smiley beside her smiley face.