If I was just a little bit younger, he thought.
He checked the overhead mirror again at the next stop, taking another look at Juliette. She was slouched in her seat, looking down at her phone. No pressing school work on that day, apparently. She had one leg sticking out into the aisle, but pulled it in as one of the new passengers walked by.
Stan kept driving.
He picked up a frizzy-haired middle-aged woman named Irma at the next stop, who greeted him warmly. She was a regular, although he’d never been able to find a pattern in the days and times when she boarded the bus. Irma always sat in the front, and she always liked to chat with him. A true extrovert, Irma always had something to say.
Stan bantered back and forth with Irma for a bit. People got on the bus, people got off. At the stop in front of PetWorld, an elderly man boarded, with a leash folded in his left hand. The man fumbled with putting his fare in the coin slot, almost dropping the leash.
The coinbox beeped to indicate the fare was accepted. The old man took a step past the standee line, but then turned back towards Stan.
“Excuse me.” The old man spoke in a gravelly voice. “Do you allow dogs on this bus?”
Stan looked up at him. “No. We’re not supposed to.” He paused before admitting, “I’ve let some people bring their dogs on. As long as the dog is obedient and quiet… I don’t really mind.”
“And as long as it doesn’t leave a mess on the floor!” Irma cracked.
“Oh, no!” the old man said. “My dog wouldn’t do that. No worries there.” He nodded to Stan. “Thank you.” The old man turned away and headed down the aisle. Stan glanced quickly in the mirror, to see the man taking the seat on the opposite side from where Juliette sat. The bus wasn’t very crowded. Everyone could have their own row if they wanted.
In a low voice, Irma said, “Why’s he gonna ask that when he doesn’t even have a dog?”
“Asking for next time, probably.” Stan pulled back into traffic.
Now Irma had dogs on her mind, and she had several stories about dogs she’d owned, which she proceeded to tell one after another. Stan listened to her talk, saying, “Uh-huh” every now and then to let her know he was paying attention. He was concerned that she might distract him, so he made sure to drive slowly and cautiously, and paid close attention to his side mirrors.
“Next stop is me,” Irma said.
“Got it.” Stan put on his right-hand signal and eased up next to the bus stop. He could see five or six people waiting to board.
“Take care, Stan,” Irma said, standing up. “Good chatting with ya.”
“Have a good one, Irma.” He opened the door and let her step out. The other passengers started to board, and Stan checked bus passes and watched coins jingle into the coinbox. As he pulled away from the stop, he passed Irma as she was walking, and she waved. He waved back.
He took a right turn onto Humboldt Road. The route would follow Humboldt until Anders Park, a rectangle of rolling green hills and fields surrounding a man-made pond. Some of the wealthier inhabitants of Linterna lived in the townhouses surrounding the park. After passing the park, the bus would turn left and head towards Jefferson University.
A bell chimed and Stan glanced up to see that the “Stop Requested” sign had lit up. He could see the next bus stop ahead, a bench with a rain canopy that sat next to the park. He put on the right-hand signal and pulled into the stop.
After a few seconds passed with no one exiting, Stan glanced over his shoulder and saw the old man who had asked about dogs coming down the aisle. The man moved slowly but Stan wasn’t in any hurry. He waited patiently. As the man stepped up beside him, Stan turned, ready to say, “Have a nice day!”
But the words were immediately forgotten when Stan saw that the man wasn’t alone. Juliette stood right behind him. The man still held the leash in his hand, or at least the end of the leash. The other end was attached to a collar around Juliette’s neck.
And Juliette was naked. No tank top. No shorts. Nothing. Stan could see her whole body, from head to toe. The only thing she wore was the collar.
What the hell? Stan opened his mouth again, this time to ask Juliette what was going on. Did she need help? Should he press the secret button under his console that would bring the police? But again, he didn’t get a chance to voice his words, because to his astonishment, Juliette brought her finger up to her lips. Asking him to keep silent.
Stan couldn’t believe it. Was she doing this willingly? Intentionally?
His eyes dropped to her body, which was as lovely as he had always suspected. She had perky natural breasts, somewhat big on her thin frame, capped with stiff nipples that protruded like tiny flower buds. Her pubic hair was not groomed, but the tangle of hair was so thin and wispy that it formed a gauzy curtain that did little to hide the crease of her pussy.
“Don’t worry,” the old man said, giving the leash a tug. “She’s obedient. She’s a good dog.”
Dog? Stan started to ask what the hell that meant, but Juliette leaned towards him, her finger held firmly in front of her lips. “Shhh!” she said. Her eyes insisted that he be silent.
So Stan kept his mouth shut, as much out of confusion as anything.
“Come on, girl,” the old man said.
Juliette leaned in even closer to Stan, and now he felt very conscious of her nudity. He almost thought her breasts would brush his arm. “Can you hold onto my stuff for me?” she whispered.
Her stuff. Did she mean her clothes? Her books? Was she just going to leave them?
It was too late to ask her. She was already out the door, moving further and further away from the bus. Walking naked on the sidewalk, led along by the old man’s leash, as if it was a perfectly acceptable thing to do.
Stan looked back at the rest of his passengers, possibly to check if he was losing his mind. Maybe he’d see Juliette still sitting back there, looking at her phone, and if that was the case, then maybe it was time for a vacation. But he saw several passengers looking out the right-side windows and he knew they watched Juliette. Everyone looked just as surprised as he was by the whole thing.
Stan left his seat and walked up the aisle. He found Juliette’s bag on the seat next to where she’d been sitting. Her phone still jutted out of the back pocket. The next row back, on the opposite side, he saw her clothes in a pile on the floor. Shorts, top, bra and panties. He collected them. She had even left her shoes behind.
He brought all her things back to the front and stowed them in an alcove under the driver’s seat. Now what? Sit down and keep driving? Finish his route? Juliette had left all her clothes, she’d left her phone. If he drove on, he would be leaving her with nothing to wear and no way to contact anyone. How would she even get home?
Stan stepped out of the bus, looking for her, but he didn’t see her. She was no longer on the sidewalk. The old man must have taken her into Anders Park.
Juliette, the pretty grad student, walking around Anders Park in broad daylight, stark naked. Stan would have never believed it if he hadn’t seen her. Why was she doing this?
He waited for a few minutes, but she never reappeared, and he just couldn’t wait any longer. The bus was filled with passengers who had to get where they were going. Stan returned to the driver’s seat and pulled the lever to close the door. As the bus pulled away from the curb, he looked at his right-side mirror, checking for Juliette one last time. He didn’t see her.
Hold onto her stuff? Yeah, he could do that. Her phone was in her bag, she just had to call her own number to reach him. He’d tell her where she could pick up the lost items, at the bus station claim area.
Hell, he’d drive all of her stuff right to her front door, personal delivery, if she’d only explain to him what had just happened.
PART 2: JULIETTE
Juliette looked up from her phone when she heard the old man ask about bringing dogs on the bus.
Stan the bus driver said they weren’t supposed to allow dogs on the bus. But
then he admitted that if the dog was quiet and behaved itself, he’d probably let it go.
I should bring Mimi sometime, Juliette thought. Mimi was small and usually quiet. She suspected that Stan wouldn’t say a word if she brought Mimi on board, maybe tucked in a bag with the little dog’s head popping out the top.
Why was it that people could bring their babies on board the bus, but dogs weren’t allowed? Babies made as much of a fuss as a dog could. Of course, babies didn’t usually bite strangers. But neither did Mimi.
Maybe she would try to bring Mimi to the campus on Thursday. It would be fun to play with her little dog while she ate lunch in the courtyard between classes.
The old man passed by her seat, and she could see that he held a leash in his hand. He took a seat almost opposite her own, one row back, by the window. He looked her way as he sat down, and smiled at her, a friendly smile. She smiled back.
“Do you have a dog?” she asked.
He nodded. “I did,” he said. “She passed away recently. A golden retriever.”
“I’m sorry,” Juliette said.
He shook his head. “It’s all right. She lived a long life. She was old and having trouble getting around.” He chuckled. “Kinda like me, eh?” He looked down at the leash he held in his hand. “It was just her time, that’s all. I sure miss her though. I loved to take her for walks through the park.”
“My dog loves to go for walks,” Juliette said. “I have a little Jack Russell terrier.”
The man looked up. “You do? What’s his name?”
“It’s a her. Her name is Mimi.” Juliette looked at the leash in the man’s hand. “What about your dog? What was her name?”
“Juliette,” said the old man.
“Oh, really?” Juliette perked up. “That’s my name!”
The man looked confused. “What?”
“My name is Juliette! I have the same name!”
The man frowned. “You’re… Juliette?”
“Yes. That’s my name.” Juliette smiled at him.
The man still looked confused, his mouth opening and closing as he gazed at her. He looked down at the leash, as if he was trying to remember something. Juliette wondered if she had explained herself badly; yet she couldn’t think of a way to state it any clearer.
She tried anyway. “I like your dog’s name,” she said, “since I’m a Juliette too.”
The man looked at her again, but he still looked confused. “You’re Juliette?”
“That’s right!”
The man turned his head and now he was looking out the window. Juliette watched him for a moment, but it was as if he had forgotten her. Well, she decided, that was apparently the end of that conversation. She turned to face forward again, picking up her phone to check the time. Twenty more minutes on the bus, probably. She unlocked her phone to read her messages.
“Juliette.” The old man’s voice came from behind her.
Juliette turned in her seat to look at him. He was smiling broadly at her. He had moved next to the window, leaving the seat next to him empty. She waited to see what he had to say.
“Come here, Juliette,” he said. “Come sit next to me.”
She hesitated a moment, puzzled by his invitation. Why did he want her to sit next to him? Was it just his way of being friendly? He seemed harmless, so she decided to humor him. She stood and crossed the aisle to slide into the seat next to him.
His smile was huge. “There you go, Juliette! Good girl!”
Good girl? She was tempted to be offended by that remark. It was a little patronizing. Then again, he had to be in his seventies. Maybe it was an outdated phrase he was used to saying.
Well, how could she be mad at him when he looked so happy? She couldn’t believe how happy he looked to have her sitting next to him.
“Oh, Juliette! I’ve missed you so much!” he told her. “I thought you were gone, girl! I thought I’d lost you!”
“What?” she asked. He’d missed her? What did that mean?
He put his hand on the top of her head and ruffled her hair. “There’s a good girl. Good girl. Good Juliette.”
Juliette was stunned. What the hell? Something was wrong with this man’s head. She couldn’t believe he would touch her in such a familiar way. She opened her mouth to scold him, but then a sudden thought froze her before she could speak.
Did he think she was Juliette, his dog?
Was that possible? Had some neurons misfired in the old man’s head, and now he thought he was petting his deceased golden retriever? He had seemed so confused to find out her name was Juliette. Did he have some sort of mental issue?
“You were always such a good girl,” the man praised her as his fingers slipped behind her ears, scratching her there. “The best friend a man could have.”
A dog. He was actually petting her like she was a dog. Juliette wanted to laugh. Was he playing a joke on her? Yet he seemed so sincere. Juliette glanced at his face and was shocked to see a tear dripping down one of his wrinkled cheeks. A tear of happiness? Maybe. He had said his dog had passed away, and now suddenly there she was again, apparently sitting next to him, resurrected. At least that’s how his mind saw it.
Of course he would get emotional. Juliette could understand it. She’d had pet dogs for as far back as she could remember, and she’d had to say goodbye to a few of them. Dogs were like family. It was hard to let them go sometimes.
“It’s been so long since we walked across the park to visit Anthony,” the man said. “You feel like a walk, girl? Yeah, you do. I know you love a good walk, dontcha girl?” He ruffled her hair again.
Juliette struggled to keep from laughing. This had to be the most ridiculous moment of her life, sitting next to a man who was petting her and scratching her ears like she was a dog. Because he thought she WAS a dog. His dog. She knew she should probably try to get him to snap out of it. Maybe if she met his eyes and talked to him loudly, he would be forced to realize that she wasn’t his golden retriever after all. She could crack his delusion.
But she just didn’t have the heart to do it. He looked so happy, thinking that his dog was back. Maybe she could let him have his fantasy for a few minutes. What did it really matter, anyway, if an old man patted her head a few times? It wasn’t a big deal.
“Here, Juliette… do you want a treat? I got something here you’ll like.” The old man had a paper sack wedged between himself and the side of the bus, and he reached his hand in, rummaging around inside. Juliette raised her eyebrows. If he was going to pull out a doggy treat, then she was done. No way she was going to pretend to eat dog food.
But instead he pulled out a pretzel. He brought it up to her mouth, and Juliette played along, taking it from his fingers without using her hands. She smiled as she chewed the pretzel. It wasn’t a doggy treat, and actually, that made perfect sense. Because he didn’t really have a dog with him. So why would he have a doggy treat?
He offered her another pretzel and she again took it from his hand with her mouth. He rubbed her head lovingly. “Good girl,” he told her warmly. “Yeah, you love pretzels, don’t you? I remember that.”
I’m so nice! Juliette thought to herself, trying not to giggle. Letting an old man feed her pretzels while he gave her a head and neck rub. Hey, maybe being a dog wasn’t so bad.
She knew she would have to bring him back to reality sooner or later. But she wasn’t sure how to call a stop to it, especially since she had willingly played along. So embarrassing to have to admit to him that she’d gone along with pretending to be his dog, even for just a short time.
They still had fifteen minutes or so until her stop. At that point, she’d just get off the bus, and that would be the end of it. The old man would have to accept it. She wasn’t going to pretend any longer than that. Anyhow, she was sure he’d come back to himself before then.
The bus pulled up to the next stop, and Juliette could see a group of about six waiting. The old man offered her another pretzel, and she ate it wit
hout thinking. She watched the faces of the new passengers as they stood in line, waiting for the bus door to open. It caught her by surprise when she felt something sliding around her neck.
“Forgot to get this on you,” the old man said. “Don’t want to get in trouble having you off the leash.”
The leash! He had just put the leash on her! Juliette’s hands flew up to her throat. She could feel the leather strip that now circled it. She felt around the collar, finding and tracing the clasp with her fingers. A little further to the left, and she could feel the line that led from her neck to the loop in the man’s hand.
She felt the clasp again. It was easy to undo, just a metal pin through a hole. Like undoing a belt. It would be a little awkward because she had to do it all by feel, but she thought she could remove it pretty quickly.
How ridiculous! He had actually put a leash on her!
She began to fiddle with it, but dropped her hands to her lap when the door to the bus opened and the new passengers started to board. She could see them coming in, one by one, putting their fares in the coin slot, or flashing their bus passes. Some took seats in the front of the bus while others came down the aisle, their eyes scanning for empty seats towards the back.
Juliette hoped that the collar around her neck would just look like a choker. But at least one of the passengers, a skinny middle-aged woman with short dark hair, clearly noticed that she was wearing a leash. The woman gave Juliette a disapproving frown as she passed.
Juliette fought to keep from giggling. She could imagine how kinky the whole thing must look. A young woman in a tank top and shorts, wearing a leash, sitting beside a man at least fifty years older than her who held the other end of the leash. What could she say?
Oh, it’s not what you think. This isn’t some weird sex thing. I’m just pretending I’m his dog.
Now she couldn’t stop the giggles. She pressed her hand against her mouth, trying to hold the laughter back, and made a snorting noise that made her want to laugh even harder.
“You okay, Juliette?” the man asked, touching her head. “Something make your nose itch?”
No One Is Awake To See and Other Revealing Tales Page 13