Dominoes

Maybe it was because the bus driver was new. Or sadistic. Or maybe it was because I was wearing high heels, dressed for an interview. He lurched up the hill, starting, stopping, starting suddenly. The tiny Chinese woman beside me lost her balance. She careened into me with a force I didn’t realize could come from such a small person. I tottered then checked the woman in front of me. She in turn lurched into the woman in front of her. And so it went down the aisle.

More amazing, though, was the wave of soft apologies that followed the same pattern, all received with smiles.