How a welcoming gesture can make your day

The alarm clock wakes me up. Soon after the ringing fades in the silence that refuses to remind us that the time to the start 

The whistling wind hits my window and the leaves dance in a circular pattern. The birds don’t Sing anymore - it’s a bit dark. The sun hasn’t raised up yet. My day at work, my second home, starts in a hour. I stepped into the cold almost slippery but tub floor, and took a quick shower. The cold water wakes me up to a point that the nails on my hand turned into a pale purpleish color. I gotta be quick, otherwise I will miss shuttle. This is a special service for the people living close to the city centre. I finish my breakfast- a double-double my way (2 levelled teaspoon of sugar, whisked gently to form a brown creamy color) and some cream. Gotta cut down on my sugar intake I think. 

I hear a car horn at a distance. It is a bit windy, so it muffled the sound. - He is late I think. 

I live in a new building development area, 4 tall buildings surrounded by a sports centre, a small children’s play pad with a supervised pool on summer. In winter gets covered and turned into a skating rink for families to come, skate. Enjoy the hot chocolate and warm cookies every Saturday and Sunday nights!

I can see the fog lights of the bus  cutting through the fog and dust like a saber, allowing it to go through like a triumphant Roman fighter head up with a stable confident walk. It’s strolling through the area made me feel proud and happy to see him coming from down the road. 

This gentle warming warrior was coming to rescue me, riding his strong noble steed metal horse.

I make it to the corner where some patrons are already lined up to embark on their every day cost living torture for some, everyday way of live. I squinted to see if I could see the face of my knight, the one that would take me to my final destination in between all these unreasonable beasts called humans. 

The door opens and a warm breeze comes out of the inside of the shuttle bus. I get in guessing where the steps up are as the dust briefly lays down on the curb between the road and the shuttle bus.

Hello! - good morning sweetheart! How are you?

My heart starts to pump faster and a sudden heat starts to feel going up. My cheeks starting to blush. 

Embarrassing- really.

Hi! - how are you hun?

I got into this everyday routine that religiously repeated every day. 

Every morning, 

Monday to Friday. 

On weekends, the serviced had a reduced scheduled and a different driver to cover that work shift. Both guys were always happy and courteous - both drivers were always loved by everyone in the area. 

Everyone expected to see any of them to enrich their start of the day with their uplifting and motivated attitude. 

I bet cha everyone’s at their work place are happy because of the driver’s happiness and assuring attitude at the start of their work day.

The night shift had their motivational people as well but not as effective as the morning driver’s team.

I think because of the late night feelings and thinking were not as interactive as contagious as in the morning.

Maybe is the change of weather.

We are getting into fall now. 

The wind that used to push the dust was now snatching dead leaves from trees and some bushes.

Weeping Willis weeper even more.

The atmosphere was less active.

Where’s the happy uplifting shuttle bus driver?

All of the sudden we looked like a long chain of depressed robots, one after the other, all looking down, no way looking up. 

No more - Hi! How are you?!

We got slashed up by the fall depressing howling cold wintery  winds. Great compliments of the new builders. 

Another section of buildings were planned. Great sign of a city growing and expanding. 

More traffic, extended routes.

More people happy.

Where is my saviour in the shinny armour riding his noble steed? 

Even the sun was not rising as before, beautifully shining and warm enough to embrace all those good feelings that welcomed every one. Every day, Monday’s to Friday’s.

The happiness that once could’ve been, breathe in the air, was gone, probably taken away by the swirling winds. 

The other 4 buildings where slowly approached by their top of their years and all of us that grew up with. The motivated uplifting shuttle bus driver was not there to motivate us, to make us happy. 

Every thing turned grey.

Happiness, laughs and smiles left the air we breathed every day. 

Masks- because of the pandemic restrictions killed that smile and those encouraging words. No more  laughs, no mere smiles.

Wearing a mask killed that bright smile.

I remember seeing a guy getting on the shuttle bus wearing a mask that had a huge smile drawn on it.

The shuttle bus driver cracked so loud that every one though the driver lost his mind.

I thought- oh my this pandemic is turning everyone crazy!

HA!

I lifted up my head and gazed at the front mirror, yep the one the driver uses to look at the back to check every now and then. I saw a glimpse of that smile. His voice, muffled by the mask, took for some patrons sometime to recognize who this person was.

The social distancing was making everyone be more distanced one to another, more unrecognizable.

Fall cane to visit us.

New visitors - Winter is back by popular demand- YAY?

One day, the sun started to shine up and that contagious happy feeling started to run amongst us again. 

Ok - back to work, back to run, catch the bus - final destination, work.

For some reason I looked up to look at where I was stepping up to get inside of the shuttle bus. 

Hello! - how are you?

Long time, no see ya’.....

CRAP!

He is back!

For some reason - that day the shuttle bus got packed. God knows why.

WHY?

He came back!

Everyone was happy again.

The flowers bloomed.

The sun shining as always did as every summer day! 

YAY!!!!!!!

The wind swirling bringing up that dust up joined us.......again.

Birds sang.

Everyone was happy again.

Strangers became friends.