"Sorry - excuse me," he mumbled as he pushed through the crowd, swatting fellow passengers on the shoulders as he went with bags packed so full he looked as if he was going on a Polar expedition. Good luck, I thought, congratulating myself on walking those extra few block to catch the bus before all the office folk got on. I was lucky myself to get a seat, even if it was only one of those that faced sideways. I hated them. They always made me want to look out of the front of the bus. My posture was bad enough having to sit all day at a desk staring at a computer screen without me having to fight the temptation of cranking my neck around for a better view of the road ahead. I would have given it up at the first opportunity but it was so crowded now that it probably would have caused even more commotion. I resolved to study my map, to plan my proposal for the publishers.
     As the journey continued the crowds began to thin out. The Driver, weaving and braking sharply kept everyone on their toes and provided us all a very interesting ride. The further north we went, the fewer stops we made and this aided my uninterrupted study until a young lady seated opposite me broke my concentration as she got up from her seat. I peered up to watch. Cautiously she stepped to the front of the bus, grasping tightly onto the poles for security, suspecting perhaps that the driver’s penchant for danger would catch her unawares. She reached and grabbed a route map and hopped quickly back to her seat. I lowered my eyes again and scrutinised my map.
     My peripheral vision detected her anxious movements and the rustling of paper. Keeping my head bowed I peeked up at her, aroused by my own curiosity, yet still not wanting to be discovered. She was turning and looking hard out of the window, darting her head as the street signs flew by. She glanced at her map and then towards me with a puzzled look upon her face. Pushing herself up straight in her seat she studied her map once more, this time more carefully, I assumed by the crunching together of her brow. The sound of the bus engine waned and the driver hastily put on the brakes. Taken by surprise she slid on her seat and over to the next one, letting out an astonished yelp. She quickly grabbed a pole to steady herself as the bus drew to a halt.
     I couldn’t help but break a smile. Mouth agape, she breathed deeply in an effort to calm herself and allowed her gaze to wander until she caught sight of me, smiling and amused. For a second I thought I might be deserving of her chastisement but instead she smiled back at me and said,
     "I ‘ate these seats! I am always sliding all over the place on them."
     Her words seemed to release some of her anxiety and she once again straightened up in her seat.
     "You seem a little lost?" I inquired.
     "Oh yes," she replied and began to rummage in her pocket. "I ‘ave to go to this address to meet my friend. She told me to take this bus but I don’t know where to get off."
     She handed me a scrap of paper with a scrawled message. I recognised the address right away and passed the note back.
     "You’re alright. Just a few more stops to go."
nbsp;    She sighed with relief, grateful not to have missed her stop altogether. I explained the route she would need to take then gestured for her to pull the cord to stop the bus.
     "Thank you," she said with a smile. “I only came here one week ago and I don’t know it very well yet.”
     The bus pulled up to the stop and she took a step or two towards the exit.
     "Where are you from?" I asked, trying to place her accent.
     Whirling her head around she continued moving forward.
     "I am a student," she replied. “Thank you. Really”
     With that she hopped off and began walking. The bus pulled away and I stared out of the window with a smile.