Another face in the crowd

I've always preferred bus rides to train rides. Somehow sitting next to the window in a bus always has a calming effect on me. This may sound a trifle odd, but somehow it is calming in a sad sort of way.

I often find myself staring somberly out the window, a melancholic feeling hanging in the air. I prefer to sit alone on these days, but it never really is much a choice. Sometimes I am luck; like today for instance. Perhaps my despondent disposition stopped them from settling down next to me; perhaps I was just plain lucky. Either way, I got to sit alone and that is what matters.

Sliding down low on my seat, I propped my leg up, placing the base of my foot on some metal protruding at the side. Slowly, I plug in the ear pieces attached to my iPod. Upon pressing a few buttons, the soft ballads stored in the slim device came coursing through the wires, into my ears. The music suited my temperament.

The early evening saw the slow descent of the sun. The sky yellow, with a tinge of orange belonging to dusk. I love looking at the skies at times like this. This day, the clear blue of the sky stood out in the lovely backdrop. Big puffy clouds littered the heavens, looking like soft cotton in contrast to the blueness of the sky. "Cumulonimbus clouds," I thought to myself, slight startled at my ability to remember the dreaded geography I learnt some 5 years ago.

Among all the clouds within my vision's range, two particular clouds stood out. They stood out not because they were extremely large, or that their shape looked like some remarkable object. Rather, they stood out because they were the only grays among all the whites and blue. These two smaller clouds were the colour of dry cement. I suppose they were that colour because of how close they were to earth. My high school geography yet again.

My eyes roved past the roads and buildings, taking in the comforting scene that was right before me. Occasionally, my eyes lended on pedestrians who intrigued me. But given 10 more minutes, I am quite sure that I would have clean forgotten how these 'interesting' pedestrians look like. Yes, I am THAT bad in recognising faces.

The ride was much to short, in my opinion. I wish I had alonger time there. Waiting for the other passengers to alight, I patiently waited till there was no one else behind, before I moved towards the exit.

Hearing the beep of the card scanner, I pushed my feet lightly off the stairs, gingerly landing my sandal covered foot on the pavement. Hesitating a moment, and taking in the site before me. Tucking my hands into my jeans pocket, I walked off into the crowd. Yet another stranger in the crowd; a faceless body, unknown and forgotten.