Purple lips

Her head was small with long fluffy hairs oscillating side by side as the bus took turns. I could see the side of her face as she stared outside the window. My legs crossed, my chest leaning deep inside my chair as I watched the stranger in front of me, her back was facing my front, a maroon coloured dress embraced her body, her legs were crossed too, her feet tensely hitting the floor as she bit her lip, her eyes wandering outside the window of the bus.

Her hair was coloured in a light shade of blue, the way it bounced and flowed rhythmically made it probable that she shampooed it recently. Maybe she is going to meet someone. But why do I care? Why am I staring at her? I can't be always sure about my action, but her hair was my attraction towards her, how delicate they were as they swayed smoothly like curtains with the wind that escaped through the window, my eyes focused on the owner of the hair, the girl, a stranger.

Why do I feel like I want to know you more honey face?.

I had to tilt my head to my right to see the side of her face, her eyes were grey and empty. They aimlessly watched as the sceneries passed. Though I agree that's what I do when my phone coughs out of less charge and then finally dies, resting inside my bag. But her shedding painful tears is what looks more interesting, she is trying not to cry, she sucks in her throat, showing her bones as she tries to hold back her emotions, she shuts her eyes and lets two drops drip down from each of her eyes, her lips quivering, her head turned to face outside so the passengers beside her don't judge her.

What happened to you?

As her neighbours got down and new passengers joined her, nothing made her move as if the surrounding has faded behind her thoughts, I notice how she flinches with instant goosebumps forming around her tanned skin as a neighbour's hand slowly brushed against her shoulders while he was taking out his baggage.

Why are you so scared?

I turn my head to check on my neighbour, I talked with her too, a new mother taking her new daughter to a new park and lives in New York. When I realise that they both were sleeping, I look back at her, it takes a moment for my mind to register that she isn't sitting there anymore.

Where are you?

There! Talking slowly with the conductor as my eyes wander around her frame, formal attire, hair recently straightened, new laced hills, she has clutched her purse way too tightly. Maybe too nervous about doing the thing she is going to do.

Why did you cry beautiful?

Me being so obsessed with a stranger shouldn't alarm any other stranger, I just like thinking about how some people are viewing life, what do they experience, what is the mystery of their past, what are the hardships that they are suffering, more like training my brain to think from all directions, understand every situation. Because I think too much. That's all.

The girl hands money to the conductor and gets down as her stop arrives, she doesn't even look up, just walks straight the road, I try to think how much anxious she is of something, how her feet is resisting the extreme need to run, run away from something. When the doors close and bus starts its engine and rushes forward. I try to watch her but she has vanished as she took a different turn.

GoodBye.

  _______________________

If this is continuing that means 'bye' didn't get placed at the right place. I thought I would never see her like I lost record of so many previous bus passengers. But I did! After 5 hours of convincing over a hundred customers for insurance, I went to a local restaurant for the evening break. I saw her, this time I got to see her full face, I could recognize her fluffy blue hair from the distance of 7 tables between us, her plate already empty and kept aside, her fingers were intently typing something in her phone. I studied her face. Arched eyebrows. Tightened jaws. Lips twitched. Uneven makeup. Stains around her cheeks, probably crying hard. Her shoulders were pointing upwards, hard and broad. She ordered something and then pushed her phone inside her purse before burying her head in her palms.

You don't look good when you cry beautiful.

I order my usual and watch her, the day didn't seem her best day, everybody faces bad days, those days feel like crap, the 'bad day' victim feels like they are the unluckiest person in this whole world, but that mood changes every day, mine did, this stranger's one will too.

I wish I could help you somehow.

I was munching on my snack as she gulped her glass of water quickly, pushing her hair in a bun, she extended the cash to the receptionist before stomping her hills hard and vanishing in the busy street, earning some frowns from the restaurant. What was I supposed to do at this? It was perhaps her bad day. I kept munching on my snack and planning how can I sell more products in a day to get a promoted job at the office.

This time I did not say bye because I knew somehow that I will see her soon. Which I did when the clock of my phone gleamed 10:50 pm. I was walking to catch the late-night bus, planning about the dinner when she appeared in my vision, running.

Three minutes after following her, she was still running.

Ten minutes after, she was still running hastily. We reached the outskirts of the city after running for 11 minutes, for the crowd it looked like I was on a night jogging routine while the woman must be late for something. But Why am I stalking a stranger?

Because I want to know you. You are different. What are you running from, angel?

She stopped in the middle of the road, surrounded by a crowd of people, her chest was pounding hard, she leaned forward and huffed loudly, I stopped at a distance of ten feet from her, making myself not look suspicious by buying vegetables for dinner which were on heavy offer, can't let them go.

Every time I picked something, I turned back, she did nothing but sat silently at a restaurant, across from my vision. One more distraction and she was gone.

Like a flash, she was gone. I purchased some more vegetables and tried to follow her steps, to add no sense but just walk straight, it would at least make me lose some extra belly I have.

I reached a garden, it was too dark to see who walked past me, rarely any being was present there with me. Just the lake I like to watch when it is quiet, the sounds of soft waves rattling against each other, winds brushing my skin, making my skin feel every embrace that the night wind had to offer. The occasional sound of the birds swinging their wings hard as they pass near me, I love this environment, just the quiet natural sound and me, I took a sit in the bench and forgot what I truly came to do.

More sounds of waves, the leaves, the grass, my clothes, my hair, everything moving as the wind crosses them. The moon reflecting its dim light on the lake, as usual beautiful. Then I hear someone humming.

I look back to see two figures.......dancing. A man's voice was humming an unknown tune like he was in deep love. I walked slowly, really slowly towards them, I hid my figure behind the grass field and watched them, I won't go unless I truly make sense of what is happening here.

From what looks like a couple dance with the deep voice of the man humming an anonymous song for his mistress had no suspicion, maybe it's their anniversary or whatever. Why do I care?

Then I check the clock, 1:30 Am. I slept!?

Which means it has been a couple of hours before I saw her, I remembered that this is what I was here for.

Will we ever met again beautiful?

Then when I land my eyes on the mistress of the lover man, mid-thigh dark coloured dress, flowing hairs, hills. Is it her? Really? I can't make out their faces in this dark. The man sounds happy, they are holding hands and dancing. The more I focus my eyes, the more my heart rate speeds up. The head of the woman falls every second, the man pushes it up and holds it, but it looks more like the man is dancing, the woman doesn't move her leg, he drags her to match his moves, her one hand intertwined with his and the other hanging from the socket as if it has no life. After what feels like an hour, the man carries her in his shoulder and gently places her in the back of a truck, possibly his.

I try to move in the dark as quickly as possible to get a glimpse of the woman, the backlight flashed and the truck sped away. Leaving me speechless. I don't know, its 2:45 Am, who is going to take me home now? This night is making me see bizarre things.

The next morning I woke up in my colleague's flat, 8:30 Am, my vegetables resting above my head, my colleague offered me noodles, said that he simply didn't like it. That's it for the usual, what didn't feel usual was the newspaper clip that he used to cover one of the old painting he has, the article and the photo slipped my clam away.

It was about a missing woman of aged 32, the article 3 years old, I squinted my eyes to examine the woman in the photo, curly hairs, round specks, a different woman if I didn't focus on her eyes, grey balls, I imagined this lady with straight blue hair, without specks, it's her! I know it's her! Her name is torn from the newspaper. She is reported missing for 3 years, nobody would ever suspect the lady from yesterday that she is a missing person, that somebody is searching desperately for her. That means what I saw wasn't a dream when the light flashed and I saw a glimpse of her, I thought I was dreaming, but I wasn't.

Eyes closed, purple lips and that purple wasn't lipstick, hair lost its elegance, face lost its life, and then she is gone. Dead. Was it too late? Maybe I could help her if I didn't sleep. Can I be of any help? I don't know the man's name, how he looked, there was no security camera around, what the witnesses would see is two love birds dancing under the moon, no suspicion. Nobody could point out that one of the two bird was already dead. Nobody knows her last location or where she is now. I'm helpless.

Sorry. I couldn't save you beautiful. I'm sorry.

I hope you're at least not crying up there.

GoodBye angel.