It was the kind of dark that makes you stick your hands out to feel the air ahead of you, unfortunately all he could feel was the humidity. He lifted his head to look at the sky to see if there would be a break in the clouds, allowing the moon to provide relief, but it was so black he couldn’t tell if there was a sky. Out of instinct he raised his left wrist about 2 feet from his face to check the time, but realized he wouldn’t be able read the hands.
He didn’t know how long he had been waiting for her, but he knew she would be there. She always showed up. She provided him stability when life would shake the ground beneath him. That feeling of confidence in her, he liked it.
He reached into his pocket and grabbed the box of cigarettes. It was crushed, but still provided enough space for the few that remained. He grabbed one and brought it to his mouth, not being able to see made him less ashamed of what he was about to do. He slid the box back into his pocket and pulled out his lighter. A couple thumb presses and a flame ignited on the top. The glow was dim, but he was able to make out the clear blue plastic that held the juice powering the flame. As he lit the cigarette, the dim light showed him a pole sticking out of the ground a few feet away from him.
He took 2 steps towards the pole and slid the lighter back into his pockets. He needed to alleviate his legs from standing and slowly leaned against the pole. He felt a cold tingle on his left shoulder as his body acclimated to the pole. He took a decent puff, which showed water sprinkled up and down the metal surface. The rain slipped his mind, but in this darkness would any thought have enough light to be remembered? The wet feeling was pleasing to him, if he couldn’t see the world at least he could feel it.
He thought he heard her coming, so he pulled his watch up to his face. The faint glow of burning tobacco provided enough shadow to tell him it was time. He turned to face her as she slowly became visible.
He always noticed her eyes first. Bright. When you locked them you almost had to shield yours. Next was her smile. It shined like a mirror catching a ray of the sun. Then her nose. Two circles that flared as she moved. She stood there right in front of him, his rock in a field of quicksand. Right on time.
“Hey buddy, you going to get on?” The bus driver said as the last passenger grabbed his bike off the front. He smiled while waiving his ticket, and slowly let her take him into another dark night.
thefourBS 