As I was on my way to work this morning...
By bitingmylip
Jessica stood at the bus stop, yawning and glancing round at the usual suspects who stood with her on this unseasonably cold August morning. There was the old lady who always carried her lunch in a designer carrier bag. There was the guy in Sainsburys uniform. There was Annoying Girl, who always leapt on the bus first as if waiting five seconds to let someone else on would mean she’d lose out, despite there almost always being seats at this time of year as the school kids had evacuated. Jessica pulled a face as Annoying Girl stuck her hand out to signal the bus and then rushed to the front of the queue. Like the driver isn’t going to stop for 14 people, she thought. Idiot.
Beeping her Oyster card and tucking her bag under her arm, Jessica made her way towards the back of the bus and found her favourite seat – facing forward, by the window on the right hand side – unoccupied. Smiling to herself she sat down and plugged in her headphones. A young guy with a big art folder sat down opposite her and she smiled at him as well. The act of smiling made her feel much more cheerful, so much so that she even smiled at Annoying Girl, who was now sat diagonally opposite her. Annoying Girl looked unnerved but Jessica sat back in her seat, still smiling, and leaned her head against the window.
As the bus meandered along, picking up people till it was fit to burst, Jessica looked dreamily out of the window, her playlist tripping along nicely in her ears. As they passed Tooting Common she looked, as she often did, for the two magpies that she had seen on several occasions nesting in one of the trees. They had yet to bring her much joy, but she still felt it was a good start to the day to see them gadding about together. The bus slowed next to the magpie tree as the lights turned red. Jessica saw one of the magpies tweeting merrily to himself. Her mother had told her that you should salute lone magpies because one, of course, was for sorrow. So, she spoke to the magpie in question, without moving her lips. Hello Mr Magpie, how’s the wife and children? Then she pretended to scratch her forehead and pulled her hand down quickly in a semi-salute.
Suddenly the bird seemed to look directly at her. He chirruped loudly, so loudly Jessica could hear him through the window, “I’m fine, thank you,” the magpie twittered. “The wife’s a bit poorly though. Ate some bad grass.”
Jessica started forward and her bag fell on the floor. That bird just spoke to me, she thought. Unbelievable.
Shaking her head, she picked up her stuff and shoved it in her bag, absent-mindedly grabbing the shoe of the guy who was sat opposite her. He moved his foot quickly and she glanced up.
“Oops, sorry,” she muttered, not looking at him as she gripped her disordered bag, her mind racing.
That bird did NOT just speak to me, she told herself firmly. Get a grip. I’m just tired and a bit hungover. I am not mad.
She glanced out of the window again. The bus had still not moved. Haven’t we been sat here for ages? She thought, just as something else occurred to her. Hang on, I didn’t drink anything last night, I can’t be hungover.
“Good on you,” a cracked but chirpy voice ventured as if in reply. “See a lot of them round here who should have a night off the sauce.”
Jessica stiffened in her seat. Eyebrows raised, she turned slowly towards the window again. The magpie was perched on a tree branch that seemed to have stretched across the road so it was almost touching the bus window. The bird peered in at her and cocked his head.
“Come to think of it, though, you do look a bit peaky. You sure you’re not hungover?”
Jessica opened her mouth, in amazement rather than out of any wish to reply. Just as she did so the bus began to move. Craning her head round, she saw the branch appear to shrink back into the tree, and the magpie flapping his wings as he soared up into the sky.
“Have a good day,” she heard him squawk.
To be continued...
Jessica stood at the bus stop, yawning and glancing round at the usual suspects who stood with her on this unseasonably cold August morning. There was the old lady who always carried her lunch in a designer carrier bag. There was the guy in Sainsburys uniform. There was Annoying Girl, who always leapt on the bus first as if waiting five seconds to let someone else on would mean she’d lose out, despite there almost always being seats at this time of year as the school kids had evacuated. Jessica pulled a face as Annoying Girl stuck her hand out to signal the bus and then rushed to the front of the queue. Like the driver isn’t going to stop for 14 people, she thought. Idiot.
Beeping her Oyster card and tucking her bag under her arm, Jessica made her way towards the back of the bus and found her favourite seat – facing forward, by the window on the right hand side – unoccupied. Smiling to herself she sat down and plugged in her headphones. A young guy with a big art folder sat down opposite her and she smiled at him as well. The act of smiling made her feel much more cheerful, so much so that she even smiled at Annoying Girl, who was now sat diagonally opposite her. Annoying Girl looked unnerved but Jessica sat back in her seat, still smiling, and leaned her head against the window.
As the bus meandered along, picking up people till it was fit to burst, Jessica looked dreamily out of the window, her playlist tripping along nicely in her ears. As they passed Tooting Common she looked, as she often did, for the two magpies that she had seen on several occasions nesting in one of the trees. They had yet to bring her much joy, but she still felt it was a good start to the day to see them gadding about together. The bus slowed next to the magpie tree as the lights turned red. Jessica saw one of the magpies tweeting merrily to himself. Her mother had told her that you should salute lone magpies because one, of course, was for sorrow. So, she spoke to the magpie in question, without moving her lips. Hello Mr Magpie, how’s the wife and children? Then she pretended to scratch her forehead and pulled her hand down quickly in a semi-salute.
Suddenly the bird seemed to look directly at her. He chirruped loudly, so loudly Jessica could hear him through the window, “I’m fine, thank you,” the magpie twittered. “The wife’s a bit poorly though. Ate some bad grass.”
Jessica started forward and her bag fell on the floor. That bird just spoke to me, she thought. Unbelievable.
Shaking her head, she picked up her stuff and shoved it in her bag, absent-mindedly grabbing the shoe of the guy who was sat opposite her. He moved his foot quickly and she glanced up.
“Oops, sorry,” she muttered, not looking at him as she gripped her disordered bag, her mind racing.
That bird did NOT just speak to me, she told herself firmly. Get a grip. I’m just tired and a bit hungover. I am not mad.
She glanced out of the window again. The bus had still not moved. Haven’t we been sat here for ages? She thought, just as something else occurred to her. Hang on, I didn’t drink anything last night, I can’t be hungover.
“Good on you,” a cracked but chirpy voice ventured as if in reply. “See a lot of them round here who should have a night off the sauce.”
Jessica stiffened in her seat. Eyebrows raised, she turned slowly towards the window again. The magpie was perched on a tree branch that seemed to have stretched across the road so it was almost touching the bus window. The bird peered in at her and cocked his head.
“Come to think of it, though, you do look a bit peaky. You sure you’re not hungover?”
Jessica opened her mouth, in amazement rather than out of any wish to reply. Just as she did so the bus began to move. Craning her head round, she saw the branch appear to shrink back into the tree, and the magpie flapping his wings as he soared up into the sky.
“Have a good day,” she heard him squawk.
To be continued...
posted by bitingmylip at 3:35 AM
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