“Used to,” Vic answered, his voice gruff.“She means well.”
“She coddles me.” Roger wheeled his chairdown the aisle, positioning it into an empty space beside the door.“I may be in this chair but that doesn’t mean I can’t do things formyself, you know?”
Before Vic could answer, he noticed Molly hadapproached the bus door and was trying to peer inside. “Ma’am,you’ll have to step back.”
Ignoring him, she called out, “Roger—”
Her brother snapped, “Step back, Molly. Hehas to lower the lift.”
This time she obeyed, retreating to a safedistance and watching the lift with a wary gleam in her eye. Onceit was hidden back beneath the steps, though, she clambered onboardthe bus, closing her umbrella as it dripped onto the floor.“Molly,” Roger sighed. “You can’t just walk on like that. You needto pay.”
“Take this.” She thrust the umbrella into hishands, turned, then thought better of it and planted a quick kisson the top of Roger’s head before he could object. “Call me whenyou get back. There’s no reason for you to traipse through thismess back to the house when I can pick you up at the stop, youhear?”
“Mol—”
“Call me,” she said again, the strength inher voice holding no room for argument.
Roger sighed, exasperated. “Fine,” he said,dropping the wet umbrella onto the floor beside his chair. “Justget off the bus already, will you? Vic has a schedule to keep. He’sprobably running late now as it is, all because of you.”
At the top of the steps, Molly hesitated,unsure.
Roger shook his head. “I’ll call you.Go.”
When Molly wavered on the last step, Viccleared his throat and rattled the door release. She took his hintand stepped down onto the sidewalk, pulling the hood of herraincoat up over her hair to keep it dry. Before she could changeher mind and climb back onboard, Vic closed the doors, turning onhis signal two seconds before pulling away from the curb. The citybuses were notorious for barreling into traffic, and despite theweather, drivers behind Vic slowed to let him in.
Roger was the only fare on the bus at themoment. On this leg of his route, Vic never picked up manypassengers in the early afternoon—there were no busy restaurants orshops on Lakeside, no businesses whose workers took the bus duringlunch breaks, no colleges with students heading off campus. His buswould start getting crowded around three, when he switched over toa route that took him by the Willow Lawn shopping area, with itspopular restaurant chains like Panera and Qdoba, the Kroger grocerystore, and the Target nearby.
On such a dreary day, though, Vic enjoyed thequiet. The only noise was the steady squeak and thump of thewindshield wipers as they worked, the purr of the engine beneathhim, and the rain pelting the windows. He glanced in the mirrorabove his seat and wasn’t surprised to find Roger staring moroselyout the window. Shadows flickered across his face, turning hisfeatures into craggy hollows. Though not unattractive, Roger alwaysseemed alone, aloof—he kept to himself, and Molly was the firstperson, male or female, Vic had ever seen him interact with whileon the bus. Pain and sadness gave him a haunting look, and thewheelchair must have kept many people at bay. Vic knew what it waslike, being judged by an appearance. With his shaved head, multiplepiercings, and penchant for tattoos, Vic wasn’t exactly poster-boymaterial himself. Add on a couple hundred pounds of muscle in allthe right places and he became downright intimidating. Few daredlook at him long enough to see through the harsh exterior he showedthe world.
But he was far from alone. His lover, MattdiLorenzo, found Vic damn sexy, tattoos and all, and a day didn’tgo by without Vic thanking God or Jesus, or Whoever it was up therelistening to him, for bringing such an amazing man into his life.Without Matt, Vic thought he would probably have had the samesorrowful expression on his face that he saw reflected in thewindow on Roger’s at the moment. Before Matt came into his life,Vic wouldn’t have thought a little bit of love could make that muchof a difference. Now, Vic couldn’t imagine living without it.
Hoping to take Roger’s mind off whatever darkimages it dwelled upon, Vic called out, “Hey man, where youheaded?”
“The Bowtie.” Roger sat up a little and gaveVic a quick grin. It banished the shadows from his face and lit uphis eyes. “New movie theater on the Boulevard. You know theone?”
Vic nodded. The place hadn’t been openlong—when it was still under construction a few months back, Vichad rescued a stray dog from some bullies behind one of thebuildings being renovated. At the moment, said dog now lounged at adaycare facility in the West End, gobbling doggy treats and waitingfor Matt to pick her up after work. Vic knew; he had dropped heroff there himself before starting his shift.
Roger ran a hand through hair a shade darkerthan his sister’s. It hung damp from the rain, longer on his neckand ears than the army would’ve let him keep it. “I’m meeting mygirl there for a matinee. I don’t care what we see, as long as theplace is dark and she sits real close, you know what I mean? Icouldn’t have my sister drive me there and crimp my style.”
Vic gave a surprised laugh. So much forappearances, eh?
* * * *
A few stops after he picked up Roger, Viccaught sight of a man in a crisply ironed business suit beneath theoverhang of a building, talking to himself and waving his handswildly for the bus to stop. The rain had picked up again, drivingthe man away from the bus stop sign under cover, and apparently heseemed concerned Vic might miss him. Vic slowed down, eased to astop at the curb, opened his door, and waited.
And waited.
The man didn’t move from under the overhang.Vic glared out at him, but little good it did—the man washalf-turned away from the bus, one hand to his ear, obviouslytalking into a Bluetooth device.
