Bus Story: Small Things

He looks as out of place as a water buffalo cooking on the line at the French Laundry. A colossus, he must bend to stand on the bus, and the breadth of him fills the space between the rows of seats. A massively round head, sparsely dotted with tufts of shark-grey hair sits atop shoulders that would give a particular green superhero a moment’s thought before Hulk smash. His clothes wrap about him, layer upon layer, as though two or three sweatshirts were combined in order to be big enough. The boots on his feet are well worn and could house a small family. Surprisingly, they are laced with periwinkle-blue laces. New ones. Bright and springlike, the laces are a wonder of incongruity. I suppose when this Mountain Giant planned a day trip from the Cascades into downtown, his daughters thought he needed a little color to spruce up his look.