The things we see

Tama's travelling by the bus had made him forget about the bike he got as a present from his uncle on his last birth anniversary. He enjoys the bus ride since he is accustomed to it. Knowing exactly at which stop most of the passengers would make a run for the exit. Tama gets a seat in no time and without any pause, he opens his school bag and starts reading the book he had issued from the library, last week. Into the last chapter already, a fast reader, paying no attention to the vacant seats or to someone who might acquire them as the bus moves along its path. Surprisingly he never misses his stop. The driver always makes sure that Tama gets down before he moves past Shinkyo(Tama's stop for school).

Tama is so much familiar with the crowd that he even bows at them when departing and they return the gesture(Only when they're standing otherwise it's acknowledged with a slight nod and one wide smile). This mundane routine doesn't make Tama feel bored. He enjoys this comfortable cycle of events. Seeing all these familiar faces every day makes him feel like a part of them, which he happily accepts.

Tama boards the bus from Yashionou(Nearest stop from his home) and within a couple of stops he gets his regular seat, the aisle one on the third-last row. When the bus makes a stop at Sogokaiken, Tama realizes it isn't one of those customary stops, the bus is taking a bit more than it usually takes to depart from Sogokaiken. Closing his book, he watches curiously the fresh faces which are about to board the bus. A middle-aged woman along with her son gets on the bus. Tama nods at them and the lady responds expectedly while the kid shies away from making any gestures. Tama drowns again in the story from which he had surfaced himself a moment ago to greet the new passengers. The next bus stop is Nishido. Tama stretches a bit to untangle himself from the stationary position when he realizes someone is standing near the door, a girl.

Her midnight black hair tumbled over her shoulders. She had glossy skin with a pair of arched eyebrows looking down on her sweeping eyelashes, standing there as shy as a doll. The school uniform fitted perfectly on her slender figure. Tama, with wide eyes and an open mouth, was only able to whisper "Wao". He found her irresistible, felt like he wasn't in command of his own body. He tried to look elsewhere but as she went nearer to the door to get down from the bus along with some other passengers, his eyes followed her with more intensity. She gets down at Nishido bus stop. Tama attempts to look out of the windowpane to grasp one last glimpse of her but by that time the bus had already accelerated and Tama couldn't see her. Returning to his place, he traverses through the events which he had just encountered, still in awe of what he saw some moments ago.

Next day Tama decides to look his best. He remembers that yesterday she didn't remark him. Maybe because he was unusually immersed in his book or because he hadn't brushed his hair properly, possibilities are endless, but this time he is certain to present himself in the best desirable way. He takes his usual seat, waiting desperately for Sogokaiken bus stop. It appears at the usual time, again the mother-son duo boards the bus, He nods at them, simultaneously trying to look past them and then, through them, but the effort falls in vain. As the pair settles on their seat, Tama gets a tingling chill in his spine. She is standing there, again the same spot. Looking just the way he remembered her from their last one-way rendezvous. She pays no attention to Tama. By this time, Tama becomes conscious, he notices that she is in distress. A sense of anxiety unquestionably reflecting from her demeanour. She is fidgeting. It's obvious something is causing her discomfort. She is looking straight down, not making eye contact with any co-passengers, let alone Tama. On the arrival of Nishido bus stop, she gets down in a hurry and again Tama losses her in the crowd.

Tama returns home, thinking about her, which is how most of his day went. Questions flood his mind. Questions like why doesn't she take a seat when there are plenty of seats available.? Which school's uniform is she wearing? as Tama knows all the schools which come under their route and the primary question which is making Tama a kind of an insomniac is What is causing her distress? He decides to confront her or make an attempt to talk to her, at the very least making her feel that he is also a  part of the bus which she is boarding since past couple of days.

Third-day, Tama sits there confidently, determined to make the girl acknowledge his presence. The routine happens, The mother-son duo boards the bus and takes the same seat. The girl emerges again from behind, displaying the same anxious look as she did yesterday. Tama feels like nothing has changed, that they all are a part of a big chessboard, pieces scattered randomly, but yet again resuming the game from the same position, he senses a feeling of déjà vu. However, he overcomes it quickly and looks at the girl who is determined to enact her each move just the way she did a day before. Tama clears his throat, trying to gather the wanted attention. But he manages to roll some heads which he didn't intend to. Feeling awkward from his behaviour, he flickers his eyes from left to right while portraying to pull his Adam's apple at the same time evading the gaze of his fellow passengers. After a moment he relaxes a little, again marches his gaze at the girl. To his surprise, she is also staring at him. He blushes and his cheeks start to redden. After a few adjustments, which he makes while sitting in the same position, he greets the girl with a smile, eyelids still flickering.

The girl displayed a look of astonishment. She seems puzzled. Out of all the things that could have happened, Tama didn't expect a sense of bewilderment from her. He wasn't sure how he should reply to such an expression. So he kept on smiling and wished for her to retaliate with something which he might be well equipped to understand. It didn't help either, she squinted as if she wasn't sure the thing that is smiling at her is a boy of her age or some rare animal locked up in a cage. As Tama tried to approach her, Nishido arrived. She gets down in a blink of an eye and this time Tama doesn't even make an attempt to follow her outside the bus. Tama wipes his face with the full length of his palm, feeling embarrassed like never before.

On fourth-day Tama decides to catch-up with her at Nishido bus stop. He takes out his bike from the garage, washes it up nice and clean and peddles it hastily. Riding as fast as he can, making sure he arrives at Nishido before his usual bus makes a pass. It's been quite some since he had ridden his bike and time is making sure his calves feel the strain. As Tama approaches the bus stop, he can see his bus from a distance. He reaches the bus stop and his bus is yet to enter the lane. He stands at a place which is near the exit door, practising the different ways he will greet the girl once she gets down. The bus stops, Tama's pupil widens a bit, heartbeat increases, he tries to calm himself up by releasing a gush of air, both hands playing with each other. The door opens, some passengers get down, almost all of them were surprised to see Tama outside, at Nishido, as they were aware this isn't his usual destination. Some of them inquire about the situation but Tama blabbers something and overlooks them while rocking his head from left to right attempting to get a glimpse of her.

She doesn't get down from the bus. Did she miss her stop? No that can't be possible, she's the one who gets down the earliest. She might have missed her bus or she is at her home resting, taking a break for herself. Who knows what could be the reason but whatever the reason is, it's making Tama overly-anxious. He decides no matter the consequence, he will talk to her before she departs for her journey from Nishido to her mysterious islands.

Fifth-day and Tama had reached his saturation. He hasn't touched his book for some days, he consoles himself by saying that the antagonist is already dead so the book won't have much to offer anyway. Waiting patiently for Sogokaiken bus stop. Things happen exactly the way they have been happening for the past few days. The girl boards the bus, stands in her usual place. Tama clears his throat, this time ever so gently, looks at the girl, she is looking at him. His eyelids don't flicker. He maintains his gaze, trying to deduce the person that is standing in front of him. She looks at him with disbelief as if he isn't something which should be inside this bus. Tama had enough of this nuisance already, he gathers the necessary courage and gets up from his seat. He starts to advance towards that girl. Associate passengers look at him as they know Nishido isn't Tama's destination but they don't interfere. As he approaches the girl, he is stunned by her beauty. He was waiting for this moment all along.

"Why do you stare at me like that? I mean I know, sometimes I can give those weird looks but trust me my intentions were never to make you feel uncomfortable. Yet that is not something which I expected. Do you feel my face is funny? Is there something wrong with me? or am I not human enough for you to understand? what's the problem here? "- Tama floods her with all the questionnaires. This flurry of questions makes him feel relieved. He wanted to ask her these questions for the past few days. The girl stops staring at him and says -"The problem is you shouldn't be able to see me."