– Young man! – said the grandmother in a squeaky voice, – Give way to a woman! She is an expectant mother!
– Don’t, grandma! I’ll stand, it’s okay. We have to get off with you in one stop, – a young pregnant woman standing next to her grandmother in the crowded bus said in a pleasant voice.
The boy sat calmly on the seat and indifferently looked out the window.
– Well, how can it be! – the grandmother was indignant. – Well, at least I am, they don’t put old people in anything! But the woman is nine months pregnant!
– You should stay at home! – the guy smiled. – Both grandmothers and pregnant women. Or walk in the park, not ride buses!” – he laughed impudently and, standing up, began to push his way out of the bus.
The passengers watching this scene shook their heads disapprovingly, but remained silent, and two elderly women sitting on the neighboring seats, giving harsh looks to the guy who refused to give up his seat, were talking.
– ‘Ah, Gwen, the young people are different now. It is better not to get involved with them, you will hear such things!
– You are wrong here! At all times there were both bad and good people. I was riding here the day before by bus, not in this one, in another one, and you know what happened there? I’ll tell you now!
All the passengers got ready to listen. Meanwhile, the grandmother with her pregnant granddaughter got off at their stop, and many other passengers got off, and the bus became freer.
– “Well,” the grandmother continued, “we are going, so here at the bus stop a strange woman enters the bus. An elderly, not very neat-looking, shaggy, in old clothes, and barefoot, apparently wandering somewhere. It is not clear what she was doing in the bus, maybe she just got on to warm up… You can see the weather, the wind is blowing, it’s raining, it’s autumn! And she is barefoot. She is standing there with dirty feet. All the passengers shy away from her and look judgmentally, saying that you are standing here, scaring people, and one guy, with a large box in his hands, who was sitting on the seat and listening to music in headphones, noticed the grandmother, stood up, took off the headphones and gave her a seat. The grandmother sat down. She was small in stature. She sat down, made herself comfortable, and her legs did not reach the floor, hanging down like a small child. And the guy bent down and began to unlace his shoes. He took them off and carefully pulled them on the grandmother’s feet. He tied them, laced everything up properly and went straight to the bus door in just socks. And she was sitting there, smiling with a toothless mouth and saying:
– “Thank you! You will be happy! You’ll see! For your good heart!
– Thank you, grandma, – the guy smiled, – I’m already happy! Here, I got a job, got my first salary, bought new shoes and can buy more. And I have a house and my parents are alive and well! Goodbye! Health to you!
He got off at the bus stop. He sat down on a bench, took his new shoes out of the box and put them on. And then the bus drove away from the stop, and we did not see what happened next. He probably went home to his parents. They raised a good son! And this old woman, you know, while we were turning our heads, looking at the young man, just disappeared, evaporated. As if she never existed… Oh! Mysticism! One old lady crossed herself, and other passengers started whispering: “That grandmother was blessed, they say, and we looked at her sideways, eh… We should have met her by her clothes… I got off at the next stop, went to the temple, lit candles for her and that young man, and for all good people. Here…
– Gwen! We are going somewhere wrong! The bus has turned, but it should go straight! And the passengers all got off long ago, we are sitting alone, – Jane was frightened.
Indeed, while the grandmothers were talking, almost no one was left in the bus.
– Hey, hey, driver! Where are you taking us! Does the fifth route run like this? We’re going to the clinic! It’s straight ahead!” – shouted Gwen, who was telling a story about a homeless old woman.
The bus stopped at the bus stop and opened the door.
– That’s it, dear grandmothers. We have arrived. This is the last stop. Get off. – But the bus does not go further – the driver replied. – What? You did not see the sign at the bus stop when you got on. You should have taken another route. The fifth one turns back earlier now.
He said, closed the door and drove away. The grandmothers remained standing at the final stop, blinking their eyes in confusion. The place was deserted and somehow wild. There were no houses nearby, and the forest was visible in the distance.
– Oh, Gwen! We started talking. How will we get to the clinic now?
– Nothing. Now we’ll call a taxi, my son told me to use the benefits of civilization, so I do, – Gwen replied respectfully, taking out a mobile phone and glasses from her bag.
– О! You have this Internet here too!” – Jane admired, watching her friend deftly moving her fingers on the touch screen, “I can only do it at home, on the computer. I go to these, what are they? Civil service! There! I remembered.
– What services? Wait, don’t run me over… Yes… How did your grandson teach you? Business class.
– Have you lost your mind? What business class? In a Mercedes to the clinic? We won’t pay!
– Don’t worry. Look.
Gwen dialed the number and listened to the beeps.
– Girl! Taxi, yes! Business class. Address? Dictating… Aha…
Jane just shook her head.
– What? No business class? Ah, what a pity, ah… What are you saying? Okay! Thank you! We’re waiting.
– Well?
– Sure! – Gwen answered with satisfaction, – A taxi will be here now.
– Business class?
– No… An ordinary taxi. And even with a discount! My grandson taught me. He told me, grandma, that you should definitely take a business class. But he’s not coming here, to our middle of nowhere. They will apologize and reduce the price, – the grandmother smiled with satisfaction.
– Look at that! Just like in fairy tales: “Don’t agree to anything, just ask for the old samovar…” – Jane laughed.
While the elderly women were talking, a taxi drove up to the bus stop. The driver opened the door for the grandmothers, helped them to sit down, and then deftly turned the car around and quickly drove them to the clinic.
As soon as the taxi drove away, the grandmother sat down on a bench under the canopy of the bus stop. She was looking at the gloomy autumn sky, covered with clouds, and smiling at something. As if she sees something there, unknown to others. And neither the wind is piercing, nor the rain is gloomy… The old woman herself is fragile, small, and her winter boots are huge, heavy, men’s. And how does she walk in them?
