A Morning at the MST

No matter what age we are, we can still love, we can find joy, and we can live

Photograph by Marta Flinn

Sitting at the bus stop on a foggy-sunny morning in downtown Monterey. What a wacky way to start off the day. The bench is icy cold, and there is a woman dusting the streets. A man humming a tune to the music from his device. I was putting my fake mask on for the day. As I reached for the black stick to put on my eyes, I heard a man mumble something. I looked around and found an older gentlemen watching me put on my makeup. As soon as he noticed that I had made eye contact he approached me. My head was running with millions of thoughts. Should I move, say I'm waiting for someone or just walk away. But instead I just sit there, and say, "Goodmorning."

The man says, "Good morning you look great,"I was about to say something rude. I'm defiantly not a morning person. But I catch myself. I was being ignorant. This man has a disability. But my anger from being disturbed in the morning had me blind. He began to go on about how he was making his way to Ryan Ranch to visit a friend. I saw little stars in his eyes, he than asked me, "I really love her." A smirk appeared on my face.

The random moments in life. When you talk to a random stranger. You know you may never see them again. There was a connection. A connection that we are all human. We may choose not to socialize with one another but it is healthy for us to be with other people. I began to wonder how often this man talked to some one. We all want some one to listen to our story. And I listened to his.

He then went on and told me a childhood story about this woman that he loves. He began to talk about a time when they were walking downtown. It was a foggy day, no people on the streets. You could hear the Christmas music echoing. She looked beautiful in her jump suit, with her black, long, curly hair. He couldn't help but remember her smell, which was sweet like sugar cookies. He reached for her hand but missed the first time. She realized what he was trying to do, and slipped her fingers through his. They walked side by side, enjoying a the foggy day. They made their way to the wharf. The place that they love the most.

They sat on the bench where they watched thousands of people pass by over the years. Where they tried to figure out what people were saying in different languages. Those hot sunny days where they grabbed ice cream and just looked out into the ocean. The laughs they had, and the deep conversation that would go on for hours. That's where he knelled down on one knee and asked her hand in marriage.

He than tells me, "I can't believe I have such an amazing woman in my life." At that moment I got shivers through out my body. "No one has ever looked at me the way she does. Who would ever love a man like me? She does. She is my one and only." She must be an incredible woman, most of us wouldn't even give a man like this a chance. A man who is different than all the others. But this woman did. She opened her heart. The connection that these two share was incredible. As I watched his man shed a little tear. 

A bus pulled up, "That's my bus, cant be late. I always go at the same time. She is waiting for me there," he said in a happy voice. I watched this man walk into the distance. He turns around before he enters the bus and says, "See you Monday, hope you have a great day at work." I found myself getting emotional which I never do. I finally caught on.

He sat down on the bus, with purple and yellow flowers on one hand, and a picture in the other. He was going to visit his wife, where she lays in peace.