The Girl with the Rainbow Hair

My morning commute to The Cleveland School of the Arts required that I catch a public bus, at the top of the main street parallel to my family's street. The bus would then drop me off at a rail station which would then transport me to the east side of Cleveland where I would walk from the station to school.

While waiting for the bus it was not uncommon for individuals to accumulate, many times familiar faces, as the arrival of scheduled bus approached. I believe it was my second day waiting on that particular bus route, when in the distance a petite girl slowly came into focus as she wandered closer. It soon became evident that she too was waiting for the bus when she stopped only feet away from me. I quickly fixed my gaze, from her, on to the empty street hoping it appeared, to her, that I was checking to see if the bus was on schedule.  When out of the corner of my eye I saw that she had turned her back to me, I observed that the girl had long hair randomly streaked with, what appeared to be, every color within the spectrum. 

As the bus finally made an appearance, the two of us inched closer to the main street in anticipation of boarding. Just before the bus stopped, in front of us, and opened it's door signaling us to board, the girl smiled and with a pleasant soft voice said hello. Paralyzed by my nerves, I made absolutely no acknowledgment of her gesture, responding only to the bus doors that laid open in front of me, quickly stepping on board to pay my fair.

At the end of the day when students made their way to the rail stop closest to the school, I couldn't help but notice that the girl with the rainbow hair was standing on the platform amongst a sea of students waiting for a west bound rail. I concluded that she too must attend the Cleveland School of the Arts.

Sure enough the next morning the petite girl, once again appeared in the distance, slowly making her way towards the bus stop. I could tell that she was insistent as smiled from a safe distance and once again said hello in a soft pleasant voice. The paralyzed state I had experienced the day before once again returned though somehow this time a timid hello managed to escape from my mouth.