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1046 Words
Lito arrives at the bus station after the jeepney ride. He stretches out his back from the ride and dwells no longer than five minutes there. He knows he has a ship to catch!
He sees and hears a man shouting some bus routes. He gets some crampled up paper from his pocket. Turns out it was some instructive directions he wrote before he left.
"I should go here." He reads the directions.
He makes sure he doesn't miss any details.
As he continues walking without lifting his head up as he was too focused on the paper, he bumps into someone.
"I'm sorry!" A lady who was also looking down at instructions written on her palm says.
She was the prettiest lady Lito had seen in his life. She had blue eyes and she had blonde hair.
It wasn't the first time Lito had seen an American woman in his life but she seems like the prettiest.
Lito tries to bring out all his english vocabulary that he learned in school before.
"No, Miss, I'm sorry." He says as he picks up the lady's bag.
"Thank you." She smiles softly.
"Welco-" just before he could finish, the lady appears to have seen someone looking for her.
"Nice, meeting you! Bye!" She waves as she pushes on the crowd.
Lito looks behind him as she ran, and she soon disappeared in sight.
Lito wished she had asked her name.
He sighs but then he realizes that he had missed the bus! He tried his best to run after it, yet it was too late. He got too side tracked by the lady.
He sighs and scoffs in disappointment.
He walks back to the station. He was weary, he didn't know what to do anymore. He was unsure if he will get another bus or another ship to America.
He went to some bus drivers and asked if ther would be another bus. They told him it would take a few more hours, meaning he'd miss the ship. He nodded with a down spirit.
He went back and sat at the waiting chairs. He knew he lost it. An opportunity down the drain.
He could try another day, but it would be too late for his job appointment.
He sighs as he walks towards where the jeepneys loaded up passengers. Somehow he blames the lady he saw.
He kept on walking without focus, so he drifts to the wrong road.
Instead of the jeepney terminal, he ended up at a sketchy place. It was pretty dark there and there was no one. He then saw a bus. It wasn't that new, nor was it old, it didn't look like the normal ones though.
"Where would this go?" He approaches it.
Unknowingly, a man goes near him.
"To wherever you want to." The man appears behind his shoulder.
He was shocked. The man, well he looked normal at least.
"America?" He jokes.
"More than that." The man opens the door to the bus.
Lito thought of this as the perfect opportunity. He knew he had nothing else, so he needed to grab it.
"Then take me there." Lito boards the bus.
"With pleasure." The man also boards it.
He sits at the back row, and he couldn't see who was driving as he was unaware that the man was also there.
He felt comfortable after a while as the bus left. He didn't really care much about where the route was going. All he thought of was that he was going to America somehow.
As the rain began to pour, he slept in the seat, and from then on, it was a long journey.
He was out for quite a while, and when he woke up, he was shocked.
"Huh, where am I?" He could see the driver in beside him.
He was sure he slept on the back row.
"We're in America now boy." The driver responds.
He looks at the back and he sees a bunch of New Yorkers.
He shifts his gaze back at the driver and it seems like he changed face. From a tan skinned man to a blonde man.
"What even are you?!" He whispers as he feels nervous and confused.
"Well, magic." The man smiles.
The bus stops and most of the people get off.
"Aren't you headed for America?" The man looks at him.
"Well, yes, but this isn't america?" Lito stutters.
"What? No, this IS America. Just in the present, or maybe the future." The man points at the calendar at his side.
February 29, 2017
As far as Lito knows he is or in the setting, was from 1912.
He was about to go bonkers.
"Can I stay here?" He begs the man.
"Fine, since you're probably puzzled." The driver laughs.
"So, what are people like at this age?" He asks the man.
"Well, you'll have enough time to find that out, since you'll be here for the next 4 years." The man explains.
"Four years?!" He is about to lose it.
"You only get to travel back and forth every leap year, okay? So you better have a good life here." The man stops for some more passengers.
"Then how can I reach? Do I need to write you letters?" He is desperate to know more.
"Nah, you don't. Just remember the bus name and number. You'll find me." The man seems calm.
Lito knew he couldn't ask that much since the man is a busy bus driver.
"Last thing, can I stay with you? Just for three days." He begs the man.
"I already did my part in letting you here in America!" They silently fight.
"But please!" He gets on his knees.
The people look at him.
"Alright, get up, get up. But just for three days okay?" The man seems to have no choice.
Lito didn't really want to do this but he has no choice. He can't probably live here for that long without help from somebody.
For now he thanks the man for keeping him. They go through the whole city with the bus. Lito enjoyed watching the buildings and the people.
He knew he had a lot to learn as he tries to comprehend the new and modern world of America.
- Writer
