At Union Station transportation center in Washington DC an express bus heading to Port Authority Station in New York City is boarding. Disregarding the schedule I drowsily sip my Star Bucks espresso outside as I watch people board and reminiscent over my weekend events in DC. The two days events that took me to organized prayer meetings, dinner at the Village with old friends, a quick dash to Lynchburg Virginia to check out Liberty University had left me totally exhausted.
A deafening voice from a megaphone jolts me back to reality. It is the last call to board. Instantly I shut my eyes and consciously ask God for a safe and serene trip. I get up from the bench and try to lift my hand luggage but it feels heavy. I grab the handle and drag it towards the bus. When I reach the top step I survey the inside of the bus.
The seats are arranged in rows of twos. No row is completely vacant but there are three unoccupied seats that I can choose for the journey. A row in the middle seems ideal. First it is not so near the restroom and secondly it is spacious. The window seat is occupied by a young woman about 130 pounds. Her petite size would give me enough room to stretch, relax and maybe even sneak in some sleep. I ferried my luggage there and attempted to yank it up to the overhead baggage berth. Then she said something, “What are you doing? Of all the damn empty seats in this bus, this the only one you could choose?”
Stunned and too tired to argue, I grabbed my luggage and scanned around to see if there were any more seats left. Now there was only one more unoccupied seat left some two rows across the aisle behind her. The gargantuan sitting there must have weighted over 250 pounds but at least he was courteous and friendly. This time I did not bother to put my luggage up on the berth, I placed it on the floor and compressed myself into my one square foot of space. I glanced at the bantam female reclining back in her row of seats with such bitterness that I had to ask God for mercy and forgiveness.
Suddenly the last passenger arrived. Something is very wrong with obesity in this country. It is so prevalent. This behemoth of a human being weighing no less than 300 pounds should not have been allowed onto the bus. But she was and she headed straight to the vacant seat next to my tormentor. I watched expecting a hostile reaction. My foe sized her up and scanned the bus to see if there were any vacant seats to toss her, in the process our eyes met. She immediately recoiled herself to fit into her now receded space between the momo the chassis and faced the window in intense embarrassment and remorse. Wasting no time her company covered her head and shoulders and descended into a snorey sleep.
As the driver began to rev up the engine my seat mate’s mobile phone rang. He answered it excitedly. Then he hurriedly excused himself, got up and headed to the front of the bus. “Hey driver my pal is outside the station. He is driving to New York. I’ll ride with him. I got get out. Do you do refunds?” he asked. The driver mumbled something, let him out and reversed out for takeoff.
All alone with two seats and room to spare I spied at my adversary. Our eyes met again. She could not hide her desire to move from her seat, but her guilt and pride would not let her ask and I would not welcome it anyway. As I contemplated this event I felt it was not a coincidence. The way the sequences were choreographed it must have been some divine intervention. Sometimes God wants you to enjoy your blessings alone. So I grabbed my luggage off the floor, placed on the seat and went to sleep. I was awakened hours later from what I thought was a short nap by the glittering lights of New York City. All rested and re-energized. Lord, I thank you for such a tranquil journey and for reminding me once again that you still answer prayers and that there are no coincidences in your world everything works according to your will and plans. Thank you.
By Yosef Karisy.
