Suffer Fools Gladly
The Day was hot and cloudless. One of those dreamy mid-summer days. I was waiting on a bus at the depot with my partner Allison. A couple passed us pulling a suitcase, they smiled and said hello. Allison nodded toward a boy in his late teens humming along to a song through earphones on his mobile phone. He had tousled, light-brown hair and was dressed in t-shirt and jeans. The t-shirt had an image of Heath Ledger's Joker from a Batman movie on the front. A large backpack sat between his feet.
The bus left the depot after everyone had boarded and followed the main road out of town. As we passed the harbour, I gazed over the swaying masts of the yachts toward the glittering sea and began to relax. After the outskirts of the town we passed into open country. The bus was quiet save for the shouts of the teenager listening to his music. Every time I nodded off to the steady hum of the engine a loud rap-orientated shout abruptly awoke me. I looked at Allison; she rolled her eyeballs. “You need to suffer fools gladly,” she whispered.
“Hmph...!” I replied.
The hum of the engine finally won, and I fell into a deep sleep. I had a vivid dream of the teenager pulling an automatic pistol from his backpack and shooting everyone on the coach except for the driver, myself and Allison.
He crept up to the driver and pushed the muzzle into the back of the trembling man's head as we sped along the dual carriageway.
“You,” he hissed, “keep goin'... you fuckin' hear me?”
“Okay!” The driver wailed.
I watched paralysed with fear as the gunman walked along the aisle past bleeding dead bodies toward us. I put my arm around Allison and glanced from side to side, but there was no escape just scenery speeding past the windows. He kneeled on the empty seat in front of me and pointed the gun at my forehead. I could feel the cold muzzle on my skin.
“You self-righteous fucker... what makes you so high and mighty? Looking down your nose at me,” he hissed and laughed. “Look at you now: tremblin' like a kid. I could make you do anything, but I think I'll kill you,” he continued and then pouted his lips.
I closed my eyes and thought, I must suffer fools gladly, I must not judge or condemn. Then I waited for death. We went over a bump, and I opened my eyes as we pulled into Dundee Bus Station.
“You okay? You kept mumbling in your sleep.” Allison said patting my arm.
“I'm okay? Let's go!”
I turned in my seat to look back along the aisle before I rose and stared straight into the eyes of the teenager. He had a knowing grin and I'm sure I saw a flicker of red pass over his eyes. He then shouted a rap anthem and marched along the aisle.