A Bus Ride

She sighed at the sight of the packed Bus. It was so hot, that little beads of perspiration had become rivers over her body. All around her, people were fanning themselves vigorously, hoping for a stray breeze to provide some relief.

She was late for her class, and couldn’t afford to wait for the next Bus. As if in answer to her prayers, the Bus stopped at her feet, and she managed to squeeze in with other hordes of people. The Bus made her feel faint from lack of oxygen, and the 15 minutes to her stop seemed unbearable.

Suddenly, she noticed a hand inching upwards from her thigh. Shocked, she looked around for the associated torso, but could locate nobody. Her hands were trapped, and her body was locked. Helpless, with angry tears in her eyes, she stood still till the next stop, and got down at the first opportunity.

The following day, and all days for the next 2 years, she walked the 4 km to her class, never taking the Bus. She imagined that hand groping some other young girl, loathing herself for not shouting out that day.