A Large White Purse

She looked to be around 78 years of age, sitting on the first seat of the transit bus, clutching her large white purse.  She was neatly dressed and with her silver gray hair groomed for perfection, she sat close up against the window, as if the seat beside her was occupied by another person. Her piercing blue eyes intently stared straight ahead as her thoughts were so consuming her body appeared to be as still as a statue. The deep wrinkles on her face told a story of a long life, lived, and her hunched over body, clinging to the large white purse, of a frail, weak soul.  Surprisingly, no one chose to occupy the seat right beside her, it might have been the mere feeling of the “world of her own” that she so intently created, that marked that seat as unavailable.  The bus driver knew her by name, and acted as if she was a permanent fixture to this large moving means of transportation.  She sat quietly and calmly as if she knew her destination but pondered her desire to get there. The large white purse appeared to be heavy and bulky, but she held it as if it contained everything she owned.  As we approached the corner of main and center street, the bus driver gently said “Mrs. Wallaby center street is straight ahead” She struggled slowly to rise to her feet, and her thin, wrinkled hand reached to grip the rails to stabilize herself as she struggled to place one foot in front of the other, she continued to grip her large white purse, never letting it out of her sight, it appeared to be so bulky and heavy but she seemed to maneuver it  as if it was as light as a feather. As she exited the bus, the driver said “ya’ll eat some ice cream for me, I’ll be back in about an hour” I stopped to ponder the words of the driver. Why did he speak to her as if she had someone with her? Why did he know her name? Why did he say he would be back in an hour?  My curiosity got the best of me and this provoked the very personal question Mr. Bus Driver what’s her story? The bus driver proceeded to explain Mr. And Mrs.  Wallaby have been riding this bus for 50 years together, they sat in that very same seat every time, their daily routine was to take the 12:00 bus to center street and have an ice cream together every day.  No one has been able to figure out how the day after Mr. Wallaby passed away this large white purse appeared on the front seat of this bus, with her ticket to ride the bus, and enough money for an ice cream everyday for Mrs. Wallaby, so every day, Mrs. Wallaby, with her large white purse, enters this bus and goes to center street for ice cream.” The bus driver ended his story with these words “you have to wonder why we worry about the big things when it’s the little ones that make our life complete”

Creating More Beauty!

Your Friend, Cheri