On the Other Side(69)

The driver continued on to the bus station. She paid the driver in cash and left. She remembered the notation on her checklist about keeping to herself while she waited for the bus and stuck to it. Unfortunately, within minutes of arriving she noticed there was a man watching her. At first, paranoia took hold and she was sure that he was an undercover police officer sent to find her and arrest her for murder. Then, she remembered that even with the short hair and the hood pulled sharply around her head, she was still an attractive woman. He wasn’t sent to find her. He was checking her out.

Finally, the bus arrived and Damita’s plan was to sleep through the entire trip. She found a window seat, close to the back and threw the backpack she was carrying in the seat. She had already given her larger bag to the driver to put under the bus. So, all that was left was to settle in. Her plan was to spend as much of the time on the bus sleeping as she could. If and when she made it to Seattle safe and sound, she would have a long road ahead of her. The long bus ride might be her only opportunity to simply sit back, relax and let someone else do the driving.

Unfortunately, she thought her plan might be ruined, when the man that had been staring at her while they waited for the bus, got on and sat right next to her. Surprisingly, all he said to her was hello. He pulled out a book and began reading.

After six hours of trying to sleep comfortably on a Greyhound bus, Damita was well aware of how flawed her plan to sleep most of the way really was.

She decided that instead of sleeping, she would use the time to think. She pulled out her notepad and began writing. She made lists for everything; things she might need where she was going, what her next steps should be. She found it helped her pass the time and she figured if it helped organize her thoughts then that was even better.

Her brain in overdrive, sleep finally overtook her. When she woke up, the man sitting next to her was holding her notepad.

She frowned. “Is that mine?” Damita asked agitatedly.

“Yes, it is. I’m sorry. You dropped it while you were sleeping and I considered putting it on your lap or in your bag, but I didn’t want to take any chances that you would either drop it again, or that you would wake up just in time to see my hand going toward your lap, and scratch my eyes out.”

“Thank you,” she said apprehensively.

He smiled. “Are you always so guarded?” he asked.

“Wow! Do you always make assumptions about people you don’t know?” she countered.

“Only when I’m clearly stating the obvious,” he responded.

He returned to his book and Damita returned to her notepad without further conversation.

The bus driver announced a stop and both Damita and many of the passengers got off the bus, including Damita and the man sitting next to her.

There was a fast-food restaurant and she went in and got a burger and fries.

“That stuff will kill you,” he said.

Damita shook her head. “Are you still watching me? Isn’t there anyone else here you’d like to play close attention to besides me?” Damita asked.

“Not that I’m admitting to watching you, but I will say that there is no one else here worth watching more than you.”

“That has got to be the cheesiest line I’ve ever heard,” Damita said, laughing.

“It may have been cheesy, but at least it made you smile. Not only did you smile but you actually laughed. I didn’t think you were capable of such a feat.”

“Yes, I do laugh on occasion; especially when I don’t feel like I’m being stalked.”

He smirked. “Someone’s a little full of herself.”

“Well, isn’t what you were doing the definition of stalking; to pursue or approach stealthily?”

“Not bad, Halle. I like them pretty and smart.”

“Excuse me? What did you call me?”

“Well, I called you pretty and smart.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about. Why did you call me Halle?”

“I’d think that would be obvious. You remind me of her, you know?”

“Are you really going to offer me yet another cheesy line?”

“What cheesy line? You really do remind me of Halle Berry.”

“You know what, that line is right up there with, excuse me, are you a model?”

“That was going to be my next question.”

Damita scrunched up her face in mock disgust and once again laughed.

“Can I buy you a cup of coffee?” he asked.

She laughed again. “Please, no, stop it. What do you have, a book full of these things? The title must be something like the top twenty-five things to say to get a girl talking.”

“I actually don’t have a book like that, but if I did, I would say it was worth every penny.”