God On The 21

Anne was a punctual woman and a woman of god which is why the bus, already 15 minutes late, offered her both intrigue and worry. On the one hand she felt she had God's hand in the way of adversity, no challenge too daunting as long as she had her good will and faith. On the other she had lectured her grandson Calvin about timeliness and accountability just the other day. The hypocrisy and the thought of the smug smile on Calvin’s face was just enough to get under her skin, but most of all she was cold. With age Anne’s dark skin had grown thin and light and even now through her coat, the cool fall breeze made her bones ice and clouded any thoughts on children and life lessons. She began reaching for her phone in defeat when the 21E bus finally came into view. When she saw Elijah from church driving she was ecstatic. A sign of her good faith and much better excuse for Calvin. The whirrrr of her wheelchair and the beep of the ramp coming down offering her warmth and safe passage meant her prayers were answered and her day could only get better from here.

* * *

God ain’t real. That was Elijah’s first thought as he pulled up to his 5th stop from the bus station. He was sure his boss would have more sympathy for his situation, any decent human would, but Terry seemed more concerned with his bus schedule than Elijah’s cancer-ridden wife. Back home in Chicago he would have talked back, fought him even over the audacity of it. Those times left him with his safety net and guardian angel Grandma Cheryl. Now Elijah was stuck, barely able to afford himself, much less the medical bills, and when his boss scolded he could only lower his head and sulk. Elijah had started going to church again on Sundays hoping the heavens would have some type of mercy, but it seemed his prayers had fallen on deaf ears. Now on the street in her slow wheelchair, he saw who he believed to be the most uptight old church woman he had ever met. Grandma Cheryl used to bring Elijah to church and by going he thought he would find something: a piece of wisdom, a path forward, maybe even an opportunity for work, but no. Grandma Cheryl had left him no final gift or inheritance and the church did not bear any fruits. If anything, the Church meant tolerating Anne. Making the stop for her meant he would have to deal with her pestering and lowering the ramp would make him later than he was. Despite this, making trouble with Anne might mean a complaint, and that was more trouble then it was worth. Elijah also felt a pang of guilt when he realized he should probably have a little more compassion for the woman in a wheelchair, given his wife's condition. It didn’t matter all that much in the end anyway. He just had to make it through this day, and then he could be by his wife's side. Just 8 more hours. Disgruntled, he let the ramp down for Anne while muttering under his breath.

“No good God would do this to me.” Elijah muttered under his breath while the ramp lowered to the sidewalk. “God Ain’t real.”

* * *

“Elijah baby, why are you so late?” The woman in the front asked, laughing, rolling her loud wheelchair onto the bus. To Michael she looked at peace. He needed peace now more than ever. At 31 he lived in his sister Beth’s basement which he called Michael’s man cave. Soon his married sister would be having her first child, and this morning he learned he would be forced out for space. This sent Michael spiraling. He would have to get a fulltime job, and stop leeching off Beth and her husband Jack to survive. The only solution was to go out and drink on his last night of freedom. Now on the bus with no one to talk to, and a clouded mind he found in the woman on a wheelchair the joy he was searching for. It was a light. A way forward. Michael couldn’t understand it himself, but he desperately needed to know what had her in such high spirits so he watched as the bus driver tied the straps to hold her wheelchair and he listened. 

* * *

“Baby you know what, god blessed your heart for 23 long years and he’s just reminding you what you have.” Anne said, smiling and nodding. “I’ll pray for your wife, and I know she’ll make it through. Tell me sugar, when you first met her what’s the first thing that hit your brain cell.” 

“Damn she fine!” Elijah said, shaking his head and smiling. We got married after just two years. I still remember the day after valentines. They married nine couples at once.”

“Nine!? Baby you had a big wedding group instead of a wedding. Do you regret marrying so young?” Anne asked.

“Nah, we were in love. I mean, it was a wedding on a budget, that’s for sure, but it was perfect.” 

“That’s beautiful.” Anne said, grinning from ear to ear. 

“Hey!” Michael called out from the other side of the bus decorated with ads for vacation spots and dating sites, The smell of the beer on his breath crawling into the air. “I came to the front to here you speak because you’re speaking some real shit and I fucking appreciate it.”

“Well thank you darling, but it’s not my doing. God sent me to tell him what he needed to know.” Elijah in the front considered this with doubt on his face but Michael, completely oblivious, didn’t seem to notice. 

“But how are you so fucking powerful?” Michael asked.

Anne seemed a bit taken aback by the smell of alcohol and the profanity, but kept her composure, for she was preaching and she took this seriously. 

“I am just a vessel sweetheart. God uses me at the right times in the right places.” 

“But how do you know God,” said Michael, struck by her statement. How could this old woman living on wheels have a relationship with the creator of joy and truth.

“I know him because he speaks to me through the script, child. He’s a truth teller and a merciful God, so he gives me answers to the right questions.” Anne said, a sort of holiness washing over her face.

“So what do I need to know right now?” Michael asked, curious for some type of answer as to what his future held.

“Darling you need the lord right now more than ever, his teachings and his truth will become clear to you once you pledge yourself to the truth.” 

“Can I pledge now?” Michael asked, a little too excited. 

“Of course baby, once you see the lord all the signs will become clear.” Anne said. As she turned to give Michael her blessing and prayer a scream erupted from the back.

* * *

Teddy loved his pocket knife. His Dad and him had made it for boy scouts when he was seven and it won them the badge, but Teddy loved it because he made it with his Dad. carved out on the wood was determined Teddy’s favorite saying when he was little, 'You miss every shot you don’t take,' and at 19 he had had the knife on him for every important moment in his life since, from birthdays to job interviews. As he geared up for his interview today he was anxious. An internship working outdoors, testing the lake water and learning about the animals was everything he’d been dreaming about since he was a boy. So of course he had his pocket knife on him today, and of course he was reading his favorite quote when the crazy man approached him. The crazy man wore a large backpack, raggedy clothing, and had patchy hair. He approached Teddy with a rage in his bloodshot eyes and a twitch in his neck. Teddy, wondering why he didn’t take an uber today looked up at what he thought was a homeless bum confused.

“She’s dead!” He barked at Teddy.

“What?”

“She’s dead! She’s dead! She’s dead! She’s dead! She’s dead! She’s dead!” The man barked again.

“Who’s Dead?” Teddy asked worriedly. As the man began aggressively unzipping his bag Teddy’s reflexes kicked and he hopped up from his seat, clutching his unopened pocket knife tight enough to make his knuckles go white. He had never been in a real fight before, but he was in the boxing club all through highschool and now he was chock-full of adrenaline. All fight or flight. What he wasn’t expecting was the crazy man to toss a heap of bloody clothes at his feet. The clothing smelled of the dead, and as the man staggered forward he looked half dead himself.

“You!” the crazy man growled at Teddy, pointing at his knife. “You’re a killer!” 

“What?!” I’ve never hurt a soul! I—I, you got the wrong guy!” Teddy said, stuttering. Unfortunately the crazy man wasn’t one to be reasoned with, so as Teddy tripped over his words, the cray man took out his own knife and lunged

* * *

Nile believed in revenge. The idea that the son of the man who killed his father sat across from him and he couldn’t do anything about it was preposterous. The blood of murderers ran through this skinny boy with an awkward side part and he was determined to end the bloodline here and now. Nile had already slashed his arm and would have done more if that damned bus driver hadn’t swerved and crashed when the woman a few seats back screamed bloody murder. Now the boy had gotten away and was running down the aisle towards the front, clutching his shoulder. 

“Get back here boy!” Nile yelled, looking almost rabid now. “There’s no escape!” The boy ran past the disabled woman and drunk man to take his stand at the front of the bus.

“Stay back!” The boy said. “I’m not afraid to hurt you!”

Nile watched as the boy flipped open the pocket knife he was holding and held it in front of him as if to ward him away. What a fool he was. This is what Nile wanted. A warrior’s battle. He charged the son of a monster with pride and rage in his heart. This was his gift to his father. The blood of evil would be spilled today. But just as nile was ready to dive at the boy, he lost the ground. The wheelchair woman had stuck out her foot to trip him and Nile was thrown forward, losing his grip on his knife flying chest first onto the boy’s blade. Nile collapsed on the ground and the boy, still in shock, watched as he began to bleed out. Everyone was gathered around him now. The bus man had gone pale and had a ghastly and horrified look on his face. The wheelchair woman was lost in her prayer. The boy was still standing there with the knife in his hand. The drunk man had a clueless frown on his face. The last thing Nile heard before the light left his eyes were the sirens. He was ready. He thought he would regret not killing the boy, but all he thought about in his final moments was rejoining his father in a better place. The last place Nile thought the last place he would die was on public transit, but none of that mattered, and now it was time to meet God on the 21.