The Boy At The Bus Stop

THE BOY AT THE BUS STOP

(some sex scenes at end)

By

Crystal Miles Gauthier

It was her first day at school in the new neighborhood. Christie noticed a boy with long brown hair and a pimpled face. Standing on the corner at the bus stop. He would not look up as she walked near. He seemed like he might be shy and introverted. She did not say a word to him.

There was something about him that intrigued her. She would rush to the bus stop every day just to be the first one there to stand near him.

Mark never noticed her even though she would become his sisters best friend.

Christie would often follow him when he was not looking, hiding behind bushes and trees in order to hide. She often spied on him down by the river near their homes. She would see him in the halls of school. Even once daring to ask him to light her cigarette.

He still would never notice the gangly girl with the mousy blond hair.

Young Christie would have a crush on Mark for years to come.

Their lives would go in different directions. He never knew of her deep feelings for him.

Would she ever see the man she had fallen in love with all those years ago?

Would he be ready to finally see her as the woman and girl she had been, and that he needed her in his life now more than ever?

A New Friend

Summer 1975

“Dummy, wanna come down to the river?”

“No, and don’t call me dummy you brat. Dad told you not to go down there.”

“You gonna tell on me? Cause if you do I will tell dad you tried a cigarette with April the other day., said my nine year old little sister Angela smirking at me with her evil grin. She looked so ridiculous with her brown tightly curled hair and her stupid wide stretched out mouth. Needless to say we were not close at all. She rode away on her brown Schwinn ten speed bike.

It was sweltering, August in Michigan could be a brutal month. High’s in the upper 90s’. I had asked my mom earlier if we could go swimming at the pool located in our townhouse community. She was sick with another headache so the answer was a definite no. We had just moved to this new neighborhood on the south side of town a month before. I hadn’t made any friends as of yet. Angela made lots of friends, mostly other little boys. She was such a tom-boy and I was not going to hang out with her no matter how bored I got. I had turned twelve this past April and was not lowering myself to little creep standards.

We lived in a three bedroom two bath two story townhouse, it was in a row of other townhouses almost like a Brownstone, but more like a large apartment complex.

As a child and into my teens I had severe allergies and asthma. Going outside on a hot day was torture form me, especially with all the cottonwood fuzzes that would fly around and make me sneeze.

This particular day my dad decided he wanted me to get outside and enjoy the day. Today of all days? Yeah, I was so mad at him. When dad said get outside it was usually because he wanted to sleep in his chair with the television on or he was just sick of me sitting around doing nothing. So I went outside hopped on my bike and headed down the driveway of the townhouse we lived in on the south side of town. As I rounded the corner of our parking lot onto the street I noticed a girl on a purple ten speed bike on the opposite corner. She looked to be my age so I rode my yellow Schwinn ten-speed bike past her. I saw her watch me. She had long dark hair down to her butt. Mine was the same length only a mousy blond color. She smiled so I stopped.

“Hi my name is Trinity, what is yours?” She asked.

“Christie. I like your bike, purple is my favorite color.”

“Yeah, I just got it, its my birthday present. You wanna go for a bike ride?

“Sure,” I said. Wasn’t nothing else to do and Trinity seemed nice enough. So we rode our bikes around the circle down the street kitty corner from her house. We were both not allowed to go very far so we made the best of it riding in the stifling heat not knowing really what to say to one another. We were riding along and I felt a sneeze coming on. I pulled up to the curb and tipped over into a bunch of thistle. I never really could ride a bike that well. Anyhow, when I fell it made me mad. So I picked up my bike.

“Are you alright?” Trinity asked.

“No, I am going home.” I said cruelly to her. I didn’t mean to snap at her. It was just that I was in pain, hot and miserably sneezing my head off. I decided to walk my bike home. I had prickers everywhere. In my butt, thighs, knees and in one palm. I dropped my bike on the front lawn, running into the house in search of some calamine lotion. Dad screamed at me.

“What did I tell ya about leaving that bike on the lawn like that. Get your ass out there and lock it up.”

“Just a minute I yelled, I fell into a pricker bush.”

“Well hurry up, I ain’t paying for another bike for you.”

Yeah, yeah, whatever. This was my first ten-speed. My bikes had never been stolen. Now my sister was a totally different story. She was like a boy, always leaving things were they didn’t belong and always whining about wanting a new one.

I would lock the bike up as soon as I soothed my skin and took my sinus pill.

The next day, I decided to go in search of Trinity. I was not sure if that house on the corner was hers or not so I did not go up to it. I just waited on the corner to see if she would come out. Luckily I didn’t have to wait long, she came out moments later and we went for another bike ride. We talked more this time. I found out the house on the corner was hers. My sister came around on her bike and said mom was taking us to the pool. I asked Trinity if she wanted to go and she said yes. But she had to ask her mom. She did and we all headed to the pool for a day of fun in the hot sun. I really liked Trinity and we had so much fun together.

Every day for the rest of the summer we rode our bikes together. Hung out on the street corner and became best friends.

The summer ended for us on the third of September that year. The day after Labor day. It was time to start junior high school. Talking with Trinity about it we both decided take turns picking each other up in the mornings so that we could walk to the bus stop together.

The first day day of junior high was frightening for me. A big school, six classes to attend. I didn’t know what to expect. Trinity told me her brother went there and it wasn’t so bad. So we walked to the bus stop. There was a boy standing there leaning up against the street sign of Seaway Drive and Dumfries Circle. I could not help but stare at the boy. Something about him made me wonder what was underneath all of that long stringy hair.

“What are you looking at?” Trinity asked me.

“That guy right there. I think he is kinda cute.”

“You have got to be kidding me Christie, that is my brother, Mark.”

“Really?” Now I was intrigued. Her brother huh? Well that could be useful I thought to myself. Hanging out with Trinity in order to see more of her brother would be cool.

The bus arrived a few minutes later. Trinity jerked me forward in order to make me see we were boarding the bus. I finally got a good view of Mark’s face. Although he had acne. I saw through that and was instantly in love. He was not a really handsome guy but he appealed to me in some odd way. I was twelve years old. I had my first big crush on Mark Ostrander.

When we arrived at school I was saddened to find out that Mark had classes that were far away from the ones that I had. Trinity’s were also different. So I had to make some new friends until I went home at night and could spend time with her and ride our bikes.

Junior high was not at all what I expected. I felt out of place and shy in such a large school. The other girls wore really cool clothes. Mine were not at all in fashion. That evening when I got home from school I told my mother that we must go shopping for some new clothes. I wanted to look like the other girls. Toe socks, tolled up jeans and striped sweaters. I also demanded a new haircut. The style that Tenille wore in the rock due Captain and Tenille. I would soon find out, no matter what I did to look good and fit in. I really didn’t. I was too shy, too introverted. I still had a thick southern accent from being born in Kentucky and some people thought I was weird. So I didn’t have many friends at first. Not that I didn’t try.

Everyday when I would get home from school. I would watch out our second story bathroom window in hopes I would see Mark Ostrander walk down the street or head down to the river. The times I did see him, I would hurry up and run down the stairs and out the door. Keeping a safe distance as to not alert him to my presence I would follow him. I wanted so badly for him to notice me but I was scared. I continued to moon over him at the bus stop. I made the mistake of telling a boy who made friends with me that I liked Mark. Donnie Pierce told me I was stupid, Mark was not the guy for me he was. He wanted to hold my hand when we got off the bus, but I was afraid Mark would see and not think I was available. I pushed Donnie away. Until one day I expressed my need to see Mark. Trinity who told me Mark didn’t like girls and that I was wasting my time. That hurt me. I was so in love with the idea of Mark and me being together. I had dreamed of him kissing me passionately at the bus stop or down by the river. After Trinity’s words. I decided to hold Donnie’s hand and let him walk me home. Every morning at the bus stop I would still try and catch Marks eye. I even tried to engage him in conversation when I sat across from him on the bus. He just muttered or grunted and really didn’t answer me back. I was his stupid sisters friend. He had no use for me. He was after all fourteen and I was beneath him. I was crushed to know I would never be able to be with Mark.

High School

Fall 1978

Over the summer my family had moved to a house further down on Seaway drive about three blocks from the townhouses we had lived in. We still lived in the neighborhood of Rivers Edge, I retained all of the friends around there that I would hang out with. A couple of guys came around that summer to hang out in my front yard. No one that really made me feel what I felt when I saw Mark O. Being Fifteen years old when I started as a freshman at Harry Hill High School was quite an eye opener for me. This school was huge. It was also fairly new. It had all the modern facilities and I hoped it would be the best time of my life.

As usual we started school the day after Labor day. Trinity came to pick me up and we walked to the bus stop. There was Mark looking more mature and even more handsome than I had remembered. Oh how I would forever love that guy. Yet again, I found myself staring at him wondering what it would be like to be his girlfriend. As usual he didn’t give me a second glance.

High school was a strange time in my life. What I had hoped would be full of new beginnings and fun times turned to me getting sick from various illnesses including Mononucleosis the kissing disease which I contracted from kissing a boy at the roller skating rink. Despite being sick all the time. I was thirsty for knowledge, but I was also boy crazy. I had boyfriends left and right. They would come and go. Some were really serious, some weren’t. I met a guy working at the Bay gas station in my neighborhood. I kinda took a liking to him and he was really nice to me. He asked me out a couple of times and I ended up losing my virginity to him. I hated my self after that. Letting a guy take me in a park under a tree on a hot summer night. Not really romantic at all for your first time. I felt tainted and lost interest in a lot of things after that.

Back at school, I started up with a guy named Brian, then another guy named Mark, none of them compared to Mark Ostrander. Most of the guys back then didn’t want to hold a girls hand in the hallway. It seemed like it was always a secret if a guy had a girlfriend. Stupid beliefs, even stupider people. It was all I could do not to scream at some of the more popular girls. That was enough for me at trying to be popular by dating the football players and the wrestlers. I didn’t fit in with them, I never would no matter how hard I tried. Trinity had tried to tell me how those people would hurt me. Sometime I would hurt her by leaving her alone to hang with them. Always finding her standing there waiting for me with a smile. She was a good friend. Soon enough I went to the dark side, as I called it. Listening to Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Pink Floyd. Hanging out with the long haired crowd, smoking cigarettes on the smoking porch at our school.

Yes, back then we could smoke on the school grounds.

Getting high on marijuana at lunch time and ditching class. A group of us would go somewhere in a car or to someones house and get stoned then go back to school. Trinity and I would often walk to the Q. D. store near the school and get some pop, gum, sweets and/or cigarettes. Foregoing lunch to go get high in the field behind the school or in Benjamin Davis Park.

On several occasions when out on the smoking porch Mark would be there. I tired to get close to him. He would just look at me like I was a ghost. So I got bold on a few occasions and asked him to light my cigarette. He would just hand me his lighter and wait til I gave it back. Always said thank you with a smile. He always just stuck it in his pocket. Sigh. I loved him so much and he didn’t even feel me boring holes in his head with my eyes. I also tried to engage him in the hallway by smiling as he passed or sitting by the gym door where I knew he would walk by. I was constantly bugging Tracey to ask him if he would go with us to lunch. She would always tell me,

“No, I am not asking him, he won’t go anywhere I am.”

I continued to follow him down to the river whenever I knew he would be there. Then one day he was gone. Trinity was gone too. I knocked on their house door. No one answered. I had been straying from Trinity for awhile now, mostly because I had a boyfriend and so did she. I wondered where they had moved to. I would have to find her in school and ask her where.

My heart was breaking. I missed Mark. There was never going to be a way for me to be with him. Finally I gave up and found some other guy to hang out with. I hated high school and did not do very well. I was constantly getting sick, so I missed a lot of classes and started falling behind. The summer of my Junior year, I ended up pregnant by some jerk I didn’t even love. My life continued in a downward spiral. I tried my hardest to raise my baby girl and go to school. But as always men got in the way.

Trinity had moved into another neighborhood not far from mine. She had gotten pregnant after I delivered my first baby. The night of my high school graduation from Night School, my parents threw me a small party in celebration. All my friends were invited, and their friends and their friends. It was the biggest party that neighbor hood had ever seen. My dad had bought me a keg of beer and once people heard about that it was all over the city. It was a great time. My little girl was a year old and she stood at the back door. Watching mommy and all her friends. She was so cute. I found Trinity sitting at our picnic table in the yard playing cards with some of our friends. She was very pregnant in her ninth month. She was such a tiny person and that baby took up all of her belly and then some. We all had bets on when she would deliver.

“Hey woman, how ya doin?”

“Hey Christie, nice party. Pregnant as you can see.”

“Wow, when are you due?

“Two weeks.”

“Uh, I don’t think your gonna make it there. You are huge.”

“Yep, the doctors say the baby may weigh about ten pounds.”

My mouth flew open, “I can’t imagine a baby that big. Mine was 8lbs, 7 ounces and that was too big for me.”

We both laughed. I was called away from her side. Some dude was falling down drunk in the driveway out front.

When I got out front I could not believe my eyes, there were hundreds of people out there. Cars were lined up all along both sides of the street. It was crazy. I never knew I was that popular. Haha, turned out it was just a place to party. An excuse and a way to not get caught by the cops. It was okay, I was having fun and so were they. I looked around for my Mark. He was nowhere to be found. I felt kind of sad about him not being there. But holy smokes, my yard was full of hot guys. I turned around to head back to behind the house when someone called me. It was Roy Lathrop, he had brought his kick ass stereo and wanted to know where he could put it. So I followed him into the back yard and told him to put it on the deck. He set it all up and we were ready for some jams. I was getting pretty drunk by this time and decided I was gonna ask Roy to put on some Rush for us to listen to. Just then Bobby Gibbs, came up to me and gave me a hug.

“Hey girl, great party, cheers.” He said as he clinked the red plastic cup of beer he had with mine. Just then we heard a crunch then a big crash. Everyone screamed. “All I could hear was Roy screaming,

“My stereo, damn it, my stereo!”

My parents rushed to the sliding glassed door to see all of us on the ground four foot from where the deck used to be. It had collapsed with forty people standing on it. Bobby had fallen into me and I had fallen back. His arm had caught the splintered wood leaving a nine inch piece of wood imbedded in his forearm. I freaked from all the blood. He was laughing. He reached down and pulled out that splintered wood, which made my mom almost faint.

“Get in here Bobby she cried. Let me have a look at that arm.”

While she administered first aid to him and one other who had been slightly injured. Others at the party came over to help those still on the ground. My dad needless to say, was pissed. Roy was crying about his precious stereo.

“Shut up, if its damaged my homeowners will pay for it. Now help me get this wood picked up.” He yelled at Roy. James Mitchell, Darby Brown, Mark, Kremp (Trinity’s boyfriend) and some others standing by helped dad pick up pieces of the deck that were still in tact. My daughter was standing at the sliding glass door pointing her finger down at the mess. “Uh, Oh, mommy.” She said. I laughed. “Yeah, it is a miss isn’t it Nanny?” She looked shocked still pointing her little finger at the devastation of the deck she used to play on.

The party was evidently over. No one wanted to be blamed for this they all took off rather quickly once they saw my dad come out and yell at Ray. Some of the guys would return the next day to try and help my dad salvage the deck. It could not be saved. Dad would have to rebuild.

After that night of fun and fright. Two days later Trinity delivered a ten pound baby boy. Her and Mark named him Chad Anthony. He was a beautiful baby with big brown eyes and dark black hair. He looked just like his mother. I went to visit them in the hospital with a mutual friend of our named Dawn. I was so proud of my friend. She had a son. I had wanted a boy when Nanny was born. But I would not trade her for the world. Still looking into that bassinet at Chad it made me want another baby. Yeah, I needed another one like a hole in my head.

After that day I would only see Trinity a handful of times either at the park with Chad or at the store. We both had new lives, we were busy moms.

October 1986

I had moved into the very townhouses we had lived in when I was a young girl. I decided the two floor, two bedroom place would be perfect for me, since I was expecting another child. This time I hoped for a boy. As my pregnancy wore on the doctors told me I would be due sometime the end of November, beginning of December. On my way home from the doctors one day in early October, I spotted a familiar face. Standing outside of one of the townhouses across the courtyard from mine was Mark Kremp, Trinity’s husband. I had heard they had been married a year after their son was born. Just then Trinity, walked up the sidewalk, I couldn’t believe it. They were moving in across the way from me.

“Trinity, hey!” I yelled. Her mouth fell open.

“Hey Christie, do you live here?”

“Yeah we leave across the courtyard, isn’t this bizarre?”

“Yeah.” She said, then I noticed she was pale. I have to go inside. I don’t feel very well.

“Sure, Sure, hey lets get together soon and see a movie or something.”

She said “Sure. If I can get over this morning sickness.”

“You’re pregnant too I said pulling open my large coat to reveal my full belly.”

She laughed. “Oh boy you must be about ready to pop.”

“Doctors say late December now.”

“Well that’s good.” She said. “I gotta go, I am really sick.

“Okay, take care of yourself talk to you later.”

A couple of days later she came over to give me her phone number. We started talking everyday. Sometimes on the weekends when she didn’t work we would all get together and have supper. I loved her roasts. She like my spaghetti. Her son wold play with my daughter and we would all laugh at their cuteness.

After all these years Trinity and I were back in the old neighborhood, with families of our own. How wonderful to have my best friend back in my life. I couldn’t help but wonder...how and where was her brother Mark now?

Trinity and I rekindled our friendship. We spent holidays and weekends together. We took vacations together, our children grew older. There were so many fun times as the years went by the kids finally grew up, graduated from high school and moved away. I was on my third marriage and Trinity had just arrived back from California where she had moved five years prior with her husband and youngest son Peter Christopher. She came back home without her husband and very sick with Crohn’s disease. She looked like a skeleton. Mark Kremp had divorced her after twenty six years of marriage. She was clearly devastated. I took it upon myself to try and help her adjust to living on her own back here.

“Trinity honey you look so thin. Are you going to be alright?”

“I need to go to the doctor Christie. My Crohn’s is acting up and I am forced to live with my mom since coming back. It’s me, Peter and my dog Sunny living with my mom in her tiny apartment. We can’t stay there very much longer. I need a job but, don’t have any clothes to even look for one. Mark left us destitute. You do not even know how hard it was when he left.”

“No I don’t but, you will get through this and I am going to help you.

As even more years went by. I didn’t think I would ever see Mark Ostrander ever again. Until I got the word that his and Trinity’s father had died. It was a very sad time. Her father was a very, loving funny little man. There was not one person who could say anything bad about Albert Ostrander. Bless his soul.

I arrived at the funeral home. Not sure of who I would see. I scanned the outside for Trinity. I did not see her but I saw someone else I never thought I would ever see again. It was Mark, my Mark. The Mark that made my heart throb out of my chest just looking into his deep brown eyes. He was standing there leaning against the granite wall of the funeral home smoking his ever cool cigarette. I walked up to him and some woman he was standing by. She had red hair and looked to be a few years older than him. Right away I could sense a possessiveness in her that I did not like.

“Hello Mark, can you tell me where Trinity is?” I asked, looking straight at Mark. He had no idea I had always loved him. He recognized me as Trinity’s friend I was sure but he did not see me beyond that. His eyes, those eyes that bore holes through me but never saw me seemed so sad today. He could not see the love and sorrow I felt for him. How could he? I would never tell him. Being married as I was now it would not have been the time to tell him. I was suddenly pulled out of my dream world by the gravely voice of the red head standing beside Mark, My Mark.

“Trinity is inside with Shelly and them.” The woman said as she snubbed out her own cigarette in the provided butt tray outside the building.

“You coming Mark?” she said, not asking more like telling him.

He followed her back into the building. I followed behind them. Wanting so badly to call him back to me. I saw Trinity standing in a corner talking to her cousin Shelly.

“Hi Trin, how are you doing? I said as I gave her a hug.

“Oh, as well as I can be I guess” She said as tears filled her dark chocolate colored eyes.

“I know honey, I hope you will accept my condolences and know how much I loved your dad too.”

We stood there hugging for quite sometime before she pulled away, grabbing my hand, leading me to her father’s body in his casket. He looked peaceful. A slight smile on his lips.

“He looks so peaceful.” I said in comfort to her.

“I am going to miss him so much Christie. He was my daddy.” Trinity began to cry, we just stood there crying together, sharing our lives like we always had. For better or for worse we were best friends, through sickness, births, divorces, deaths, it didn’t matter we were always going to be there for one another no matter what. The rest of the day was very sad my duty to her was sitting by her side quietly listening as she regaled stories of her father and his sense of humor. Her mother Martha was so happy to see me there. I stayed close to her and Trinity and watched as Mark and his siblings, Gene, Lorie and Delia greeted the mourners.

Many people passed by Albert that day paying their respects. It was nice to see so many come together. However all I could think of was how I wanted to be the one to comfort Mark. Not that red head woman. Whom I later found out was T.K. his girlfriend. I wanted to be his girlfriend. To hold him and tell him how sorry I was for his loss and that now and forever I would take care of him. The day ended with me watching him. He just sat in a chair staring at his father’s body. He looked so lonely. Tears filled my eyes. I had to leave I could not want him so badly and not have him it was torture. I said my goodbyes to the family and left.

The years continued to go by, my children had children. I divorced and remarried. I was now on my third marriage. Trinity was now living in her own small home on the south side of town with her sister Delia. Her Mother Martha died in her sleep the fall of 2012. Trinity’s son Chad’s wife was pregnant with their first child. As before I went to the funeral of the family I so desperately wanted to be a part of. It was a very sad affair. The Ostrander’s had lost their matriarch and none could stop the sorrow from overflowing. The only light was in the fact Melanie, Chad’s wife had decided to name the little girl she was carrying Elizabeth. The middle name listed on Martha’s death notice at the funeral home. No one had known Elizabeth was her middle name. It seemed fitting for the new baby to be named after her great grandmother. The good news was still over shadowed by the grief thick in the air as we all stood around Martha and wished her farewell. She had been a wonderful mother and friend. She had often sat talking to me for hours about her children. I loved to listen to her stories. I would miss her terribly. As before I watched Mark. This time I was bound and determined to tell him how much a crush I had on him as a kid. So as we all sat around talking about Martha’s life. I started to tell them all in a humorous way how I had this big huge crush on Mark when I was twelve years old. I told them the whole story about me stalking him. They all laughed. He just looked at me and laughed along like it was just some foolish childish whim. I looked hard into those beautiful eyes again. I saw something spark in him. I was called into the kitchen to prepare the food for the guests. I knew I needed to show him how much I loved him if only in a sisterly kind of way. Later after everyone had eaten and he was outside smoking I walked up to him, sweating bullets I spoke.

“I am so sorry for your loss Mark.” I leaned in with outstretched arms for a hug. He hugged me back kissing me on the cheek.

“Thank you honey. That means a lot to me.” Oh My God...Oh My God...I was beaming. He actually kissed me on the cheek. I felt my heart pounding so hard I was sure he could hear it. I pulled back away from him, he just stared at me. I stared at him it was magical. That is until T.K. walked up and ruined everything.

“Mark, we need to go now.” She said in her gravely voice. I wanted to punch her so hard for interrupting my Mark and I’s first real moment ever.

“I need to go to work Mark, come on.” She grabbed his hand and they got inside of his truck. I wanted to scream at that red headed witch. MINE, MINE. I could do nothing but mourn my own loss. Forever feeling like I was missing out on something in life. I continued on, wishing for something I could never have, with every fiber of my being.

Winter 2014

A very hard winter for everyone in our state. A severe Ice Storm hit the night before Christmas Eve. A million people lost power in our state. Temperatures were below freezing. Shelters were full of people trying to survive. If you were fortunate enough to have a generator you were okay, if not you froze half to death. Food was ruined and water was in short supply. Depression hit me horribly. I started thinking about suicide. I did not want to live. I had been very sick during the ice storm. Christmas was ruined for my family as well as many, many others. For the first time in thirty five years Trinity’s family and mine would not celebrate together. I was in a deep dark place. One from which I was not sure I could return from. I knew I had to seek help in some form. I found a psychiatrist. Got medicated and went numbly through the rest of the winter. My husband lost his job. I had decided I could not live poorly any longer. I wanted more out of life however, I did not leave. I should have but I thought I would stick it out a little longer. Mainly because I didn’t want to be alone. Although I was lonely in my heart. I wanted something I could not have. I knew I would probably go to my death bed with a great secret in my heart.

Spring 2015

Mentally I was back on track. I finally finished the third book in my time travel series and was looking forward to success as an independent author. Later in the spring my husband still hadn’t found a job. I could not take another year of disappointment and financial ruin. I decided to leave. I packed my bags one day while he was out looking for a job. I got a one bedroom apartment on the other side of town from where we lived. It had been eight months since I had talked to Trinity. She suddenly caught up with me on social media one day and asked what had happened to me.

“Hey, woman did ya fall off the edge of the earth or something? What is going on with you?”

“Awe, I left Jack, I am living over here on the west side of town in a one bedroom apartment. Just writing my books. How about you, what’s going on?”

“Chad and Melanie had another girl named Victoria. Peter is still working here with me and I am still poor. Same ole same ole.”

“Yeah I hear ya. Hey how is your brother Mark, still with that red head?”

“Yeah, she still has her claws in him. Been twenty years now.”

“Damn, It’s been that long?”

“Yeah, she is really controlling over him. Hey, listen Christie, I gotta get back to work. Call me tonight if ya get a chance.”

“Yeah sure, I will. Take care, Love ya. :)”

“Love you too! <3<3 Bye!”

Well that was the usual conversation between Trinity and I these days, nothing really new to say even after months and months. So I got back to work promoting my books on the social media site. I was scrolling through some posts when I suddenly saw a post that said.

“It sure would be nice to have friends to talk to once in a while on here.”

I have such a tender heart, anytime I see something like this I automatically am drawn to befriend that person. Loneliness is a terrible thing. Anyhow, I happened to look up at the profile picture, it was a red Dodge Ram Pick-up truck. Next to the picture was the name...Mark Ostrander. I about peed my pants. Mark was on social media saying he wanted a friend. Are you kidding me! I was freaking out. I did not know what to write. My hands were sweating and my heart was pounding. I knew I should not answer back. “Oh hell, yes I should, answer him. Go ahead. Say hi.” Talking myself into it I started typing.

“Hey Mark, I will talk to you and be your friend on here. Anytime you want to talk just message me.”

Holy hell, I just did it. I laid that out there like whip cream on pie. Just put it out there for him to see. He probably won’t answer or even notice it. I decided to just get back to work. That is until I heard the friendly little ping of my computer telling me someone had answered me. OMG...OMG...it was him. My Mark answering me back.

“Hi Crystal, thank you for being my friend. I see you write books now.”

“Yeah, I write Time Travel Romance.”

“Good for you. Hope to talk more sometime.”

That was it, that is all he said. What a man. Men never said anything. None of them could really type. I just laughed. At least he noticed me and answered me that was something. That night I went to bed with a smile on my face. My Mark finally knew I was a live. I was overjoyed.

The next night I messaged him to say hi and that if he wanted to talk I was on the computer. I did not receive an answer. I was bummed but decided to try everyday.

The third afternoon he answered me back.

“Hey, I missed you yesterday, I thought you wanted to be my friend?”

“I do, I messaged you two times. Didn’t you get them?”

“Oh yeah, I was working and forgot to look. Sorry about that.”

“No problem.” I replied. “I have always wanted to be your friend.”

“I know, I remember what you said at my mom’s funeral about having a crush on me. Do you still?”

Shyly, I bit my lip. “Should I spill it all to him now on the internet? Do I dare tell him how I really have felt all these years?”

“No I told myself. You have not seen him years, you do not know if he is working, a loser, a weirdo just wanting to talk sex or what. Stay cool and feel him out.”

I started asking him a series of questions. Do you work? Are you still with T.K.? Where do you live? Etc.

He answered that he did work at a local parts plant, yes, he was still with T.K. and he lived in a small town not far from mine.

Then he asked me some questions. I told him I was no longer married. Living on my own and so forth. We carried on our conversation for three hours that night. My world was opening up like a flower. I was finally talking to the man I truly loved for over forty years. He was not single. But I found out he was still not married to her either. Yippee! This was the best news ever! I was on cloud nine. I still had a chance to make this right.

Every night we would get on the computer and talk, he was starting to joke around about wanting my body, and I teased back about what it would be like to have sex with a man I was truly in love with. He started telling me how lonely he had been for years. He lived with T.K. but he did not love her. They slept in separate rooms. No love, just together for financial reasons, to help each other out is what he said.

As the days went by we began to explore our feelings more and more for each other. I asked him if he could come over and see me. He said he would come to my apartment for a while that next Monday.

I was so nervous. I cleaned the house, took a shower, threw on a pair of jean shorts and a red tank top that had sparkles on it. I sprayed some perfume around the apartment and made sure everything was perfect. I was watching out my patio door, when I saw his Dodge Ram Truck pull up I almost wet myself. There he was baseball cap, sunglasses and a big red truck. Hot Damn, he looked so good to me. I invited him in and kissed him on the lips the moment he came through the door. He was shaking and nervous I could tell. He was a hard working man I could tell. The years of hard work had taken their toll oh him. Yet, I felt like a school girl again. His eyes were the same, his big luscious lips had not changed a bit. Mentally I had to check my self. I had to put him at ease. So I sat in one chair and he sat in another, we talked for the longest time. Just getting reacquainted with one another. I offered him some Iced Tea, we moved into the dining room, sitting at the table I grabbed his hand in mine and kissed it. I saw years melt away in his eyes. I saw a tender lonely, aging man, in need of affection. We talked and laughed until my cheeks hurt. We were falling in love. I knew it. We both loved the outdoors, fishing, hunting and of course Dodge Trucks. He was a manly man, strong, capable, hardworking and I loved him. He made me laugh when he pulled off his baseball cap and revealed his balding head.

I squealed “You look just like Albert! Your Dad!”

“Yeah.” He laughed at me laughing at him.

“Mark, you are the man I have always loved. I do not care that you are bald or that you are older than you once were. To me you are still that boy at the bus stop.”

“Well babe, I better get going home. It was so nice talking to you like this. You do not know how much it means to me.”

We had not made love like we had teased each other about on our social media conversations. I had not given oral sex like I had promised. We had not done anything we had planned. Darn it. Me and my big mouth and giggling laugh. I had ruined it.

I was so mad at myself. He pulled me into his arms and kissed me hard and long. I thought I should just pull him back into the bedroom with me. But I did not do it. I watched him pull out of my parking lot. With tears in my eyes. Would I ever see him again?

That night he messaged me. I told him I was sorry for not making love with him. He said he understood and still loved me for being so kind to him. We made a plan to meet each other three days later. When he pulled into the parking lot I vowed this time we were finally going to share our love for one another in a most intimate way. The moment he came through my door. I took his hand and led him to the bedroom. We made love, love like strangers at first, then we slowly escalated into pieces of clothing being ripped off. There was an urgency for both of us. According to him it had been a long time since he had made love, it had been the same for me. He whispered in my ear.

“ I love you babe, I wish we would have done this years ago.”

“We are here now Mark and that is all that matters.”

“Let me love you.”

He slowly, reached down between my legs. I was wet for him. He groaned in satisfaction. He slipped his finger inside of me and I about jumped off the bed. He rubbed my clit with his thumb and I exploded. Moving with the stroking of his able fingers. I wanted more. I reached down for his cock. It was long and swollen. Perfect. I knew I would not be disappointed. We were both getting really hot and needed to be joined as one. As he slipped inside of me easily. I felt my life come full circle. The wanting and need that had been a constant shadow on my soul had been soothed. He was inside of me, inside of my body, my heart and my life. I was bound and determined to never let him go. I screamed in pleasure as I climaxed all around him. He could hold out no longer. He exploded inside of me and I felt it. Hot and wet. A welcoming rush of serenity.

As we lay in each others arms basking in the glow of our long awaited love. I asked him.

“Mark, will you leave her for me? Will you come to me now and forever?”

“I will, Christie, it is time for us to be together. I cannot imagine living without you now.”

I cuddled under his strong arms. I finally had my Mark, The Mark of my soul, written in the stars. Forever The Boy At The Bus Stop. 

Thank you for reading. Leave a comment please.