Always to the one before

When I was a kid, back ages ago where going to school meant having to leave my place before the sun came up, I'd always have the same routine every morning. The radio would be blaring when I got up coz my dad wakes up at like 5am to prepare for work. I always knew he was a slow poke, but he'd make breakfast for me and all so I guess it's a good thing.

Then comes to shower and the changing and the packing of bags. I've never been a tidy person until now, and it used to take me forever to put everything I needed in to the bag. Well, actually I took more time finding the stuff to put in.

After that I'll head to the kitchen and the blaring radio. By this time dad would've already left the house but he'll always leave breakfast behind for me. It'd be a cup of milo and then some food. I eat up.

So I'd leave the house and walk to the bus stop. The one that sent me to school was always crowded with kids from my school so I like to walk to the one before. I liked to walk and that way I get a seat on the bus to school too so it's win-win.

And at the bus stop there'd be this old man, always sitting in the same seat looking out at the road as if he's expecting his bus to come soon. Sometimes he'd look back and see me staring at him coz I realized he's always in the same clothes and stuff.

I think he slept there coz he's always there when I arrive, and when the bus came he continued to sit and stare.

One day he looked at me and smiled. I wanted to run back to the next bus stop because he scared me. Then he asked me if I was going to school. I asked him back, "why are you always here?"

His reply to me was that he's waiting for the bus. I said he never boarded the bus when it came but he just smiled and went back to looking at the sky.

He disappeared some time during my primary 4 years, but somehow I'll still look out for him when I walk to the bus stop, but I've never been able to meet him since.

I guess he caught his bus.