Bus Stop

Nick walked the same route to St. Ambrose School everyday, usually by himself, sometimes with his friend, who almost always woke up late. It was a short walk, about three blocks, so his mother didn't worry much about him walking alone to school. Later on, when Nick's little brother would grow up, they would walk together. But for now, he walked alone, because Louis was still in kindergarten, which didn't start until noon.

The city was busy early in the morning. Nick would walk down Eden toward South Park, the busy street, still clearing the sleep from his eyes, and the dreams from his brain, while the noise of cars and buses assaulted him from all directions. The school and city buses made the most noise, and Nick often found himself terrified at the confusion of the morning traffic. All of this commotion opposed the stillness of the funeral home and the deserted transmission shop that occupied the two sides of the corner of South Park and Eden. Every morning, as Nick saw the empty parking lot of the funeral home, he began to walk faster.

Every morning Nick did this, and yet every time he knew the worst obstacle lay ahead of him. In between the blocks of Eden and Marilla, there was a small store called McNerney's Pharmacy, but everyone called it McNerney's. When their grandfather came over to watch Nick and Louis in the summer, he always took them there to get candy, but McNerney's also had milk, small toys, and greeting cards. It was also where the public school kids waited for their bus every morning. The city buses made stops there as well.

Stealing went on at McNerney's before and after school. It was after school when Nick's classmates stole candy from McNerney's. Once time, Nick saw Rashawn drop his duffel bag on the floor and poor the entire box of Snickers into it. It was so easy that even Nick took things every once in a while (a candy bar here, some gum there). No one was ever caught as far as Nick knew. This went on after school mostly, but in the mornings, the public school kids went to work on McNerney's while they waited for the bus.

Usually it was so crowded at McNerney's in the morning that it was impossible to tell who was coming or going. Buying or stealing. Kids were always coming in and going out. Some even stood in the doorway. The old people who ran the store were always yelling at the kids to wait outside if they weren't buying anything. The kids often ignored the old people. Nick hated the public school kids because those who waited outside always blocked the sidewalk, and he was often forced to weakly plow his way through to the other side, which was where he wanted to be more than anything. As he did this, he could feel the eyes trained upon him, staring inside. They said things to Nick. Things like "nerd" and "faggot" and "geek" were enough to make Nick hide his face and run.

When the snow came, it was much easier for Nick. The passing buses usually became targets of the kids waiting in front of McNerney's, as they delighted in pelting any oncoming large vehicle with snowballs. Nick could walk by unscathed, since the public school kids turned their attention elsewhere. Nick was always overcome by a feeling of relief after passing that small but difficult section of the journey. He knew anything that happened to him after that point would be of his own doing. Such as the time when he attempted to jump over a fence on Okell from the top of a snow bank and instead got his leg caught between the snow bank and the fence, dislocating his knee. He never tried that again.

Nick knew that he might one day be forced to take an alternate, longer route to school. He would have to go the long way by going down McKinley Parkway, the road that ran parallel to South Park, at the other end of Eden. That way was such a lonely way to go however. The traffic was quiet on McKinley, and hardly any of his classmates went that way to school. Nick didn't want to go that way. South Park wasn't so bad with the exception of those public school kids. He thought he could endure it a little while longer, at least until his little brother was old enough to accompany him. Then maybe they would leave him alone. Then maybe he could walk to school without being bothered by the kids who waited for the bus in front of McNerney's.

One cold November morning, Nick left for school. The sky was gray, and the wind blew sharply. These conditions made everything desolate. All the houses on his street were empty. The grass was dying. The boy thought about this cold environment, and went on, although it made him more afraid to pass McNerney's.

The traffic on South Park was alive in the dead, cold air. As Nick approached McNerney's, a bus began pulling away from its stop there. He got closer, and saw that something unusual was happening where the kids were standing. They were all huddled together in a tightly packed circle, everyone peering into whatever was in the middle. Suddenly, the middle of the circle began to move violently, and the kids began to shout things at whatever it was they were looking at. Nick heard these things before, but this time they sounded different. Their words were urgent and real. Two girls quickly broke out of the group, grasping each other's arms, and all the kids began to yell louder. The two girls were fighting. They fought like they hated each other. One of the girls was white, the other black. Nick got very close. The two girls were very close to the curb, pulling and pushing and shaking each other, their faces contorting violently. They made no sound except for their feet shuffling on the sidewalk, and yet it eclipsed any noise the traffic produced.

Nick watched as the two girls fell to the ground, one on top of the other, and then one of them screamed. A man ran out of McNerney's yelling something at the kids, and quickly pulled the black girl off of the white girl. The man yelled some more and his face turned red.

"You kids stop it, just stop it!" he screamed. "What the hell is the matter with you? Are all of you sick? Are you all crazy?"

Everyone was quiet now except for the man. He was a big man. Big enough to make the public school kids listen to him.

"I'm sick of coming here and seeing you little punks. Grow up for Christ's sake! Act like the young men and women you're supposed to be! You two girls oughtta be ashamed of yourselves! Look at you."

Everyone focused on the girls, who then dropped their heads. All of the kids were outside, and the two girls breathed hard among them. The old people had come out of the store to see what was happening.

Nick thought the man must've been on his way to work, because he was dressed nicely. It probably made him angry to have to break up a fight before going to work. Nick had moved even closer, still watching intently. He smiled as he saw the public school kids silent before the red-faced man. Nick's head then snapped back as he received a shove from behind, almost falling to the ground. The man didn't see it. He had his back to Nick as he lectured the two girls. Nick was startled and shook with fright. It was the same feeling he had when he heard Joey Buscaglia wanted to fight him after school. He turned to see who had pushed him. It was one of the public school kids. He looked older to Nick and wore and black Raiders jacket.

He said to Nick, "What are you lookin' at?"

Nick didn't say anything, but looked the boy in the eyes, holding back tears.

"What? You wanna fight? Huh? You little faggot. Come on!"

But before the boy could push Nick again, the man who came between the two girls grabbed the boy by the arm and pulled him away. The shaking Nick felt stopped.

"Did you hear what I said? Huh? Did you? Is that all you wanna do is fight?" The man was screaming into the boy's face, but the boy said nothing. He just looked away. Then the bus came. It's metal squealed and whined as it completely stopped by the curb. Nick stepped back and watched the kids, all quiet now, file into the bus. The man held the boy and the two girls back until everyone was on the bus. They looked scared, those three. The man addressed the bus driver.

Nick turned around and unzipped his coat a little. He saw his breath float away in the November air. He walked on to school.

Nick kept going the same way to school every morning. Somehow he knew it would be different after that day. The public school kids still waited there at McNerney's for their bus, sometimes they looked at the boy when he passed, but they didn't say anything to him. Something had changed. It seemed to be a waste of time for the kids to bother Nick now. Sometimes Nick smiled just a little as he went by, but mostly he stared at the ground. In the years to come, Nick's little brother would walk with him to St. Ambrose everyday. Nick could feel the kids looking at him when they passed McNerney's, only it didn't hurt anymore. It made Nick happy, walking in front of McNerney's with his brother. No one ever said anything.