“Is this the right stop for number ten?”
“Yeah, here, let me...”
“Oh thank you love, my feet do ache, I only get out once a week since Hector died, and i’m not as steady as I once was"
“Aw now, you look too young for that!”
“Isn't that nice of you, well i’m 87 in two weeks and I reckon i’m doing better than most.”
“Are you doing anything nice for your birthday?”
“Oh yes, my niece, about your age, is baking me a cake. She is such a great baker, she makes these fancy cakes and sells them all over! Oh but they are so beautiful, I told her ‘I don't need all that fuss’ but she insisted, she is so sweet. The whole family are coming over. It’s the first since my husband Hector passed. 68 years we were married, and he was still there on my 18th, he gave me such a kiss, he made me blush like a tomato, I thought my dad was going to throw him out for that one.”
“Oh I bet you heard about that for weeks!”
“Too right I did, but then Hector asked for my hand three weeks later. Him and Dad never took to each other, but I didn't care back then, he was so charming. He never lost that. He had that cheeky sparkle that never went away. The kids want me to move out of our house, downsize yet again, but I told them never again. I am not packing my life up and joining the spinsters in housing complexes, I would much rather go in peace in my own house, with my own garden.”
“I could understand that, it’s where you live”
“And it’s where I will die thank you, just like my Hector. They don’t like to hear me talk about it, but I have to be practical now I am on my own. That’s why I still get my own shopping, my Katy is always offering to take me to the supermarket with her, but I do like getting out and having a walk around town as well you know. Then I can get my pension, and go to the library, chose myself a few books to read.”
“I know what you mean, I don’t know if i’m ready to give up my freedom”
“Oh I was a wild one myself when I was your age, I very nearly said no to Hector and went off to explore the unknown”
“Sometimes you just need adventure, what made you change your mind?”
“Some good advice. So are you visiting someone up here? I don’t think I’ve seen you on the bus before”
“Just visiting a friend, taking a bit of a scenic break to reflect”
“Well there is a great path up the peak, you can go along the ridge and make a day of it. We used to go up there most weekends in summer.”
“I love walking, it isn’t the same without a dog though”
“I do miss having a dog myself, oh it has been a good four years now. Me and Hector, we had dogs nearly all our married life, I just can’t get out to give one the exercise now”
“They are a lot of work, but they are worth it, it is nice to think I will have a dog again, when I settle down and have a family”
“You are far too young to be thinking about that! Go out and live your life, have a few adventures. That’s what I keep telling my niece Katy, her and boyfriend come and see me every wednesday, I keep telling her to go out into the world, she doesn’t want to settle down and have kids right away!”
“You must have settled down fair early, had kids?”
“I wouldn’t call what we did settling down, we didn’t have Luke until I was gone 30.”
“Did you ever regret getting married so young?”
“Well no, of course not, it wasn’t all perfect mind, but the ups and downs are what make the ride - well that’s our bus”
“I think I might wait for the next one, I don’t want to get there too early, nice talking to you”
“You too, take care pet”
“Welcome back. Well that was option three, that’s all we have for you today. You can always come back tomorrow to see how things may have changed”
“That’s ok, I think I have been doing that long enough, no matter how it changes, I always seem happy. I'll be at the church tomorrow.”
Ever since I was a teenager, and spent a lot of time having conversations with really interesting old people at bus stops, I have wanted to write a book of short stories with that title, so I was really glad when I finished this and realised I could use it. I had so much trouble writing only in dialogue! Phew but hopefully, as I tried three stories, I got a good bit of practise. The story of a world where timetravel is normal, but you can only visit the current potential future. Meaning you can visit your future self as a stranger to see how your current time line will turn out, at some point, you have to stop wondering and take a plunge.
This is my entry to 
Photo Credit by Pixabay User RadonRacer who only has two images so far, the other is a beautiful field.