Conversation between Mona and Kerri unfolded in bits and pieces over coffee. Each time Kerri came by Mona’s booth after their more formal introduction, she asked her about her reading, her dissertation plans, or how she was feeling. A day passed, and then another, before Mona finally confessed to what she’d been holding on to for so long.
The heat of the summer was already rolling on in thick waves. The bus stank of humans condensed to their most basic urges, coupled with dirt and rotting plant matter. Mona tried not to breathe as she headed towards the back of the bus; she only succeeded in stepping into an invisible cloud reeking of Axe Body Spray.
Time stopped and then rolled backwards. Summer became winter. Ontario became Quebec. Mona’s mouth tasted of the vanilla coffee she bought o
