The child was around four years old and her mother held her hand tight. They were waiting for the bus that would take them from the city part of Charleston, South Carolina into the suburbs where family and friends awaited them.

The little black girl with braids and bright colored ribbons in her hair began to hold her legs together, standing first on one leg and then the other.

“Do you have to go to the bathroom?”

“Yes.”

“Well why didn’t you say so?” The woman asked, as she picked up her small valise and moved in the direction of the restrooms.

The child noted that there were two doors and they both had big white signs with black lettering on them. She could not read it but the letters were; W-H-I-T-E  O-N-L-Y on one door and C-O-L-O-R-E-D on the other. Her mother led her through the one with C-O-L-O-R-E-D on it and a foul odor filled her nostrils.

Though there was a bulb in the ceiling, it was still dark and dingy and a lot of paper and trash cluttered the floor. They went towards a small cubicle that was without doors, but had a commode. The little girl saw that there was no toilet paper and the commode was real dirty and needed flushing, but did not respond when her mother attempted to do so. The child looked up at her mother and attempted to move back but her mother pushed her forward.

“It doesn’t matter, “the woman said, “you don’t have to sit on it.”

She pulled the girl’s undies down, picked her up and held her over the commode in a sitting position. She took tissues from her pocketbook and dried her. No water came from the faucet in the filthy sink.

“Humph! I’m not surprised,” the woman muttered, as she grabbed her child’s hand and headed for the exit, “let’s go.”

On the outside, the little girl took a deep breath of fresh air and saw that the bus was just pulling up.

The bus! The bus! They were going to get on the bus! Her face lit up with happy anticipation. They had come from New York City on the Greyhound Bus where she had a window-seat right next to her mama all the way. Now, after visiting with family in Charleston for three days, they were going to the ‘country’ to visit other relatives where there would be cows and pigs and other farm animals that she had only seen in books! That’s what her mother told her and she could hardly wait to see them. She stayed close to her mother, who still held onto her as they, along with others, began to board the bus. Her mother lifted her up into the bus and paid the fare. 

O-o-h! There was a good seat right there! She and her mother could sit side by side again while she looked out of the window. The little girl went for the good seat.

“Uhn – uhn, let’s go to the back,” her mother said, pulling her in the direction of the back of the bus.

The little girl stopped in her tracks. In the back? She eyed the back of the bus. There weren’t any good seats back there. Why should they go to the back of the bus when there were two good seats in the front?

“Mommy, I don’t want to go to the back. I want to sit here,” she said, pointing at the empty seats.

“We can’t,” her mother said reaching for her, “let’s go to the back.”

“Why?”

“Stella stop questioning me – come on!” Her mother said, as she pulled on her arm. But Stella was persistent and she still resisted.

“But, why mommy – huh? Why?”

“Stella please,” her mother pleaded, noting that they were holding up the boarding progress and passengers began to murmur, “…I’ll explain later.”

“Will my lap do?”

Stella’s mother turned and eyed the young man in the military uniform who spoke. He sat in a seat by a window in the front of the bus. 

“Well…,” Stella’s mother hesitated.

“She’ll be fine,” the young man said reassuringly, “I can see she doesn’t understand.”

Her mother made a quick decision and when she released her hand, Stella eagerly allowed the young sailor to scoop her up and place her on his lap. Her mother went to the back of the bus and sat in a seat where she could keep an eye on her child.

Stella looked at the people around her and  encountered two of the coldest, hardest, gray eyes she had ever seen...glaring at her from across the aisle! She cringed a little and wondered if she had done something wrong. Was she a bad girl because she wanted to sit in a good seat? Just then two protective arms encircled her and she looked up into the warmest of blue eyes. Stella felt safe and she rewarded the warm blue eyes with one of her wide, one-of-a-kind, pearly-white, grins.

She then turned her attention to the wonders of the passing country side that greeted her from the window. There were houses; big, small, painted and unpainted. Some houses had barns nearby, some didn’t. She saw green pastures where there were animals grazing.

“I like the cows best,” she said, initiating a conversation.

“Do you? And why is that?”

“ ‘Cause, I’ve never seen a real one before.”

“Oh – I see. Well look there – there’s chickens in that front yard. Have you ever seen a real one before?”

“Yup – my mommy goes to the live chicken market and buys a chicken sometimes. But, where are the pigs?”

“Pigs are usually kept a little distance from the back of the house in pig pens.”

“Oh,” Stella answered with the tip of her nose rubbing the window pane. “O-o-h look! Did you see that funny looking horse tied to the fence?”

“That wasn’t a horse that was a mule. They’re different from horses. They’re ornery and stubborn.”

Stella looked at him and thought for a moment.

“My Momma says my uncle Ralph is stubborn as a mule,” Stella laughed out loud, “is that what she means?”

Her newfound companion chuckled with her. “Yeah, I guess that’s what she means.”

They sped along the dirt road and passed by a large field that looked like a sea of white flowers with dark green leaves.

“What kind of flowers are those?” Stella asked

“That’s cotton.”

“Is that cotton?!” Stella asked in awe.

“Sure is.”

“My Mommy told me the slaves picked cotton all day long.”

“Your mommy told you the truth – they did.” 

They rode on in silence and Stella was just about to fall asleep when she heard her mother’s voice.

“Come on Stella – it’s time to get off.”

The young man lifted her from his lap and stood her beside her mother.

“What do you say, Stella?” Her mother asked her.

“Thank you.” Stella said.

“You’re quite welcome – I’m sure.”

Over Stella’s head two pairs of eyes full of wisdom and understanding met and acknowledged one another.

Her mother quickly grabbed her hand and they made their way to the door of the bus where they got off and were welcomed joyfully by those that met them.

Stella was being smothered with kisses in the arms of someone called, Sis Lil, when she looked around and, through the window of the departing bus, caught a last glimpse of... the warmest blue eyes. She would never forget them.

                            THE END

Rom 12:2,Phil 3:13-14,Is 11:6

copyright;jmsbell-2007, edited 6/10/2016