An extraordinary thing happened to me one day on the way to work.

I had a habit of falling asleep on the bus, morning, and at night on my way back home. I’ve always found the ride mesmerizing…relaxing, and an excellent opportunity to catch a few winks. I had it down to a science in terms of dozing off and waking up every so often, so as not to miss my stops.

This particular morning however followed one of those strange insomniac nights, where I had gotten about three hours sleep. Once aboard the bus, I slowly dozed off as I usually do. This trip however I was especially tired, and in hindsight I would have missed my stop, if not for the kindness of a stranger. I know the faces of the regular passengers who ride with me each day, but a guy I had never seen before gave me a shake on the shoulder, saying, “This is your stop, isn’t it?” I muttered a grateful “Thanks,” to the man, and promptly disembarked after him, watching as he then disappearing into the crowd.

Once off the bus downtown, I then waited for a transfer bus to take me to my office in Gatineau, on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River. As I did so, I recalled the face of the man who had moments before awoken me, perplexed at that I didn’t remember him from before. Even more perplexing, despite my good memory for faces, I never saw him again.


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Completed © 2021

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12/29/2021

Author's Note: Another vignette.

Posted on 12/29/2021
Copyright © 2024 Chris Sorrenti