Bus Report #678

There's a woman I see on the 2 Clement all the time, a neighbor of mine who lives down the block.
She's one of those neighborhood people that I see a lot but don't think about very often. For a long while, I didn't see her or think of her at all.

She used to wear these strange spandexy black pants and black tunic tops, with her long black hair frizzing out from the top of her head. She had an odd gait, slightly bowlegged which was exaggerated by the tight pants. She always seemed in a rush, frazzled.

Now I see her on the bus and she's gotten stranger.

Rain, wind, cold temperatures, and she always wears a long white t-shirt, no jacket or sweater.
Her hair is stuck through with bobby pins and barrettes but they are shades lighter than her dark hair. She carries two well-worn and reused shopping bags from Bloomingdale's. She always sits in the same three seats in the front of the bus.
And she always looks very, very concerned as she gets out of the bus and walks down our block.
As though she thinks I am going to mug her, even though I am usually walking a few paces in front of her.

Sometimes I see her walking down Clement. She walks side to side, almost zig-zagging, and constantly looks behind her. To make sure no one is following her, I guess.