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While engrossed in a novel, as I sat on the bus on my way to work, I heard, “Hey, Dennis!, said Chili, “I haven’t seen you for ages.” An empty seat opened beside me, so we sat together for the rest of the trip.”
“So, how’ve you been?” she asked.
“”I’ve been fine. I haven’t seen many of our friends lately. It’s been too cold. I saw Joy about three weeks ago. She’s doing fine, but her legs are still giving her trouble. I saw Chuck a while ago. In good weather I see him every morning.”
Chili said, “Yeah, Chuck is a good guy. He has lots of stories and it amazes me, but he remembers things that we had talked about before. He really cares.”
“How about you?” I asked.
“I had my hip surgery — it went really well. I’m still using a cane, but I can get around a lot better. I don’t have much pain. Oh, I broke up with my boyfriend. It happened at a bar. I guess I drank too much. When they handed me the bar bill it was over a hundred dollars. My boyfriend and I had an argument, he took off, leaving me with the bill. I didn’t bring any money, because I thought that he’d be paying. Anyway, they called the cops. I guess I flipped out. I got into a fight. I’m on my way to court now. I have six charges, including assaulting a police officer. I even got pepper sprayed, twice. When I went to the hairdresser to have my hair cut I could still smell the spices from the spray. It nearly made me sick. So, I’ll have to see how that goes. Hey, I’m still in school.”
“That’s great Chili, I’m really proud of you. I hope it goes well for you in count.” Our stop was approaching so we stood up to exit the bus. She walks faster than I do and we separated somewhere in the crowd.
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Streetsister 