tangerine

There’s no number 1 bus. It’s usually here, waiting for more paying passengers so it can begin its route. It’s raining and I’m in a big crowd. We are all going the same way and there is no way we will fit.

I forgot my umbrella, but it doesn’t matter. I squeeze in between two girls holding pink umbrellas and steal some of their protection. I see the bus. It’s stuck in traffic. The others see it too. The mass starts moving. I’m part of this mass. Squeezed. There will be no lines.

My umbrella free hands give me an advantage. I strongly force myself into the front. The bus door opens. Pushed, pulled, I push back. No mercy. I’m on the bus. I find a seat, YES! I don’t have to stand.

American Alex would have waited for the next bus, but I’ve adjusted. No. Adjusted is not the right word. I’ve evolved. Evolved to survive in my environment. Evolved to not always be the girl in the back of the line because I think cutting is rude.

I open my bag and take out some tangerines. I offer one to the standing girl in front of me, who I just beat in the race to get a seat. She accepts, smiles. No hard feelings. Things are different here.

I enjoy my tangerine.