The Men in White

The men in white, or so I refer to them, are all dressed in white t-shirts and gray shorts. It seems that they are all congregating around one man, the one they call Le Tigre. They are a jovial group with a clear dark side. Their ability to generate laughter creates a fun atmosphere on the bus and they constantly ask questions of the people around them, perhaps in an attempt from anyone learning much about them.

They all were in prison together and were heading back to California. I suppose the clothes were something issued by the prison system upon their release. Le Tigre asked a lot of questions about who I was, but only received questions in return about who he was. Attractive with dark hair, sprinkled with grey, wrinkles above the brow and around the eyes, and a pain deep within hidden by a jolly dangerous persona describes Le Tigre. Jimmy, aka No Talk, is a young African American man with the men in white, but I sense something different about him. His words provide a glimpse into his desire for something different, something more meaningful than his association with the others. They are all freely joking, especially about me, but overall I like them.

It is Thursday morning as we approach Palm Springs, California. I've slept, sort of, most of the night. The new medications seem to be altering something as I am a zombie after taking them, dizzy while walking, dreaming a lot, and often waking up speaking out loud from the conversation in my dreams. Perhaps that is why the lady who was seated next to me moved last night. She was traveling with her male partner and were a delight to talk with. As they exited the bus at their stop she commented that I would meet someone in three days. That was it, I would meet someone. My ever creative mind whirled about who, but relaxed and decided it was best to just see what would happen.

The rainbow colored sunset casts a fitting end to an eventful day of travel. The new medications have me sleeping a lot, but thankfully I have had 2 seats on the bus to myself for most of the trip so I can stretch out a bit and relax. Now I have the last three seats lined up in the back of the bus. Stretching out, getting comfortable, and sleeping is great now. There aren't many passengers on the bus as we travel North out of Sacramento. I slept through most of the other stops.

My thoughts keep going back to what the lady said, I try not to think about who, what, why, or anything else, but the mind is curious. I'll be in Seattle tomorrow, where I'll be staying for a few days to experience the city.