‘I guess that will have to do,’ said Henry feeling put out. Rita wondered if she could take a day off but quickly decided against it. Henry grabbed his coat from the peg.
‘I’ll go home, I think. See if I can get into the wardrobe.’
Rita grabbed her bag and hovered by the door. Would Henry want to kiss her goodbye? The thought of his dry lips on her cheek filled her with such strong desire that for a few seconds she found it hard to breathe. The smell of him in the bedsit was so potent that it made her quite light-headed. The slamming of the front door startled them. A quick glance at the clock sent a shot of adrenalin through Rita’s body. She would never make it to the bus stop in time. Henry sensing the urgency followed her out of the room.
‘See you at one,’ she said rushing down the stairs without waiting for Henry’s reply. In her haste, Rita forgot her umbrella and was dismayed to see it was raining heavily. Her hair would be ruined. For a moment, she considered running upstairs to fetch it, but she would most certainly miss the bus if she did. The time spent on waving her hair hadn’t been completely wasted. At least Henry had seen it. Rita hadn’t expected to sleep so well with Henry in the room. Strangely, she had slept better than ever. It had been odd preparing her breakfast with Henry sleeping just feet away. He’d looked so peaceful.
‘There’s my bus,’ said Rita, hurrying across the street. She waved gaily to Henry and he waved back, unable to hide the disappointment from his face.
Rita made it just in time. The bus driver was about to close the doors. Rita squeezed in and showed her monthly pass.
There was a seat by the door, and she sat down gratefully and caught her breath. The man seated opposite looked at her over his polystyrene cup of steaming coffee. Rita quickly turned away. It didn’t do to smile at strangers. It gave the wrong message.
She wondered what the man would think if she told him all about Henry. He’d no doubt think I’m delusional, she thought. It did seem rather odd though that no one else could see Henry. A loud thud broke into her thoughts and she looked up at the heavily built man who had bounded onto the bus. He grabbed at the bar above her as the bus moved off and then began waving something in front of the passengers. At first, Rita couldn’t make out what it was. She could only see it was black. Then he was waving it in front of her and she saw clearly that it was a worn leather Bible. He was holding it in the air and gesticulating maniacally, as though he was holding a surrender flag. Rita squirmed in her seat. She looked to get off, but the doors had hissed shut and the bus was moving forward. The man was right in front of her now. Oh God, she silently moaned, please let him move away.
‘Jesus saves,’ yelled the man. ‘Praise the Lord.’
Rita clutched her handbag close to her chest and pulled her knees as far into her body as she could manage. The man opposite rolled his eyes in an exaggerated gesture.
‘Evangelists,’ he muttered. ‘Is nowhere safe?’
Rita didn’t feel safe at all.
‘Read the Bible,’ yelled the man, the Bible swayed from side to side. It’s as though he is trying to hypnotise us, thought Rita.
‘Repent before it’s too late.’
‘Don’t preach on buses,’ said the man in the seat opposite. He smiled reassuringly at the other passengers. ‘You’re frightening some of the ladies.’
Rita feared the man would hit her with his Bible. The closer he came the more an icy chill ran through her bones. She needed to get off the bus but the gap between the man and the main bus platform seemed inaccessible; a huge chasm that Rita could never hope to cross. She was stuck; marooned on a blue and yellow upholstered bench, destined to suffer the rants of an evangelical mad man. She could have hit him with her umbrella and escaped if only she hadn’t left it back at the bedsit.
‘Jesus saves,’ bellowed the man while others on the bus told him to be quiet. The man’s eyes pierced into Rita’s.
‘Jesus will forgive you for your sins. Though yoursinsbe scarlet, they shall be aswhite as snow.’
Rita gasped. How did he know about her sins? He was wrong. Just like her mother was wrong. She hadn’t sinned and she never would. God had forgiven her.
‘I am the Lord’s messenger. By the laying on of hands …’
Rita knew what that meant, and she wasn’t letting this disgusting man come anywhere near her. She knew all about sin and what the Lord’s messenger did to get the sin out of you. Rita couldn’t breathe. She needed air. Before she realised what she was doing, she had lurched out of her seat. Her hand reached for the strap above her head, but her trembling hands missed it and she fell ungainly onto the seat opposite. She looked to the other passengers for help but they were too intent on watching the evangelist.
He reached out to her and Rita penetrated the air with her screams.
‘Get away from me,’ she cried.
The Bible fell from the man’s hand.
‘Jesus will forgive you,’ he said, bending to retrieve it.
Rita wanted to lift her foot and kick the Bible to kingdom come. Yes, that’s what she wanted to do.
The bus driver becoming concerned brought the bus to a juddering halt.
‘Hey, what’s going on back there?’
A wave of annoyance from the passengers travelled down the bus.
‘Disgraceful,’ they agreed.
