Number
Three Encounter
by
BJ Neblett
©
2013
E
mail to the Stranger Newspaper, September 23, 2013.
Dear
Sirs,
Please
include the following ad in your ‘I Saw You and Missed Connections’ column with
your on line personals.
Thank
you.
Last
Friday afternoon, September 20, it was around two PM, maybe 2:30, in downtown
Seattle, the #3 bus. I got on at Third and James Street. I promised not to drip
on you as I sat down. Did I?
You
were wearing a grey Huskies sweatshirt. You had longish dark hair, a ponytail, pretty
painted nails, pink I remember, and a killer smile. You reminded me of the sexy
heroine stepping out of the pages of one of my short stories.
Me,
I’m just a guy who sat next to you, a writer, a hopeless romantic some say, others
aren’t so kind. I wore a blue slicker with a Looney Tunes tie and a silly grin.
We
talked a bit, you and I, about the rain, and buses, and coffee, and Seattle,
and nothing in particular.
I
told you I wasn’t from Seattle. You said you could tell because I carried an
umbrella.
I
wanted to say more but I found myself drowning in your beautiful dark chocolate
eyes.
The
lady sitting in the wheelchair asked us to ding the bing bong for her to make
the bus stop and we both laughed.
I
made you a pink origami duck. It matched your nails, do you remember?
How’s
he doing?
Actually,
I looked for you the next day, and the day after.
But
you were gone and so was the rain.
Anyway,
I’d like it if we could meet; maybe have coffee and talk about the rain and
buses and Seattle and ducks.
You
can be my sexy heroine with the killer smile.
I’ll
be just a guy with a Looney Tunes tie and a silly grin.
You
can text me anytime.
And
remember to ding the bing bong when you want the bus to stop.
I’ll
be waiting.
Billy.
