The Woman With the Grocery Bag
The bus rolled to a stop in the gray afternoon. Wet snow drifted outside, and only a few passengers sat quietly in the nearly empty seats.
An older woman boarded slowly, wearing a worn coat and holding a grocery bag in one hand, the other clutching the handrail for support.
The driver glanced at her, then said curtly,
“Madam, do you have a ticket?”
She didn’t answer right away. Just stood there, steadying herself against the motion of the bus.
He repeated, a little more firmly,
“You need a ticket to ride. Please step off the bus.”
The passengers stayed silent. A young woman near the window looked down. A man in a dark coat shifted uncomfortably but said nothing.
The elderly woman moved toward the door with slow, careful steps. As she reached the exit, she turned back to the driver.
Continue reading on the next page…