Life in progress

Category Archives: fiction


by 1 Comment

91. Scenes from the Second Seat on the Right

Thursday, November 30th, 7:00pm
Michael (and The Darkness)

 

Michael sits at the window, reading The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin. The Darkness takes the seat beside him.

The Darkness: (looking back and forth between the book and his own left hand) I am The Darkness.

Michael: (glancing at The Darkness) I beg your pardon?

The Darkness: (snatches the book away) I am the Darkness!

Michael: Hey, give me my book back!

The Darkness: (stands, holding the book up) I AM THE DARKNESS!! I AM THE DARKNESS!!

The Darkness gets kicked off the bus. With Michael’s book.

 

Next stop: Friday, December 1st, 8:00pm

Click here to learn all about this series, how it works, and where to find your favourite characters.


by 2 Comments

90. Scenes from the Second Seat on the Right

Note: Strong language

Wednesday, November 29th, 5:00pm
Monica (and Justin)

 

Monica sits in the window seat. Justin takes the seat across the aisle.

Justin: Hey, don’t I know you from somewhere?

Monica: Who, me? I don’t think so. I came here from out west.

Justin: Oh yeah? Whereabouts?

Monica: Calgary.

Justin: Calgary! You must know Jimmy Schrodinger!

Monica: Errr … no …?

Justin: How about Dave Brown?

Monica: I do know a Dave Brown, but …

Justin: Long blonde hair? Really skinny?

Monica: (shakes head) No. He has short black hair and he’s pretty big.

Justin: Weird. My name is Justin by the way. What’s yours?

Monica: (scoffs) Fuck you.

Justin: Well that’s nice. Are all people from Calgary like you?

Monica: Ask Jimmy Whatever, asshole.

 

Next stop: Thursday, November 30th, 7:00pm

Click here to learn all about this series, how it works, and where to find your favourite characters.


by 5 Comments

89. Scenes from the Second Seat on the Right

Tuesday, November 28th, 6:00pm 10:00pm
Stuart (and Maurice)

 

Stuart sits at the window. Maurice takes the seat beside him.

Maurice: Fancy meeting you here!

Stuart: (shakes his head) I’m lucky to be here, I tell you.

Maurice: Oh oh. What’s up?

Stuart: Well, I was supposed to have caught the six o’clock today, but I slept in.

Maurice: All the way to six in the evening?

Stuart: (nods) Uh huh. Had one wicked headache this afternoon, so I went to lay down. Then I started having this nightmare. I couldn’t breathe!

Maurice: It was only a nightmare though, right?

Stuart: Nope. Damned cat was laying on my face. So I pushed it off, as you do, and it mustn’t have liked that very much.

Maurice: No?

Stuart: Nuh uh. It jumped out in front of me as I was walking to the bathroom, I fell over: cracked my head on the door jam.

Maurice: No way!

Stuart: Yep. Just woke up.

Maurice: Wait, didn’t you say you slept in?

Stuart: Yep. Cat peed on the rug again. Slept in cat piss for oh (looks at watch) a good couple hours.

 

 

Next stop: Wednesday, November 29th, 5:00pm

Click here to learn all about this series, how it works, and where to find your favourite characters.


by Leave a comment

88. Scenes from the Second Seat on the Right

Monday, November 27th, 6:00pm
Amy-Sue and Billy

 

Amy-Sue: Nobody “gets” me.

Billy: I do.

Amy-Sue: How can you? I just moved here from Backwater-Hellville – I’ve practically never even seen a bus before…

Billy: But you’re the same as me inside.

Amy-Sue: …and you’re in the Geek Club.

Billy: I can quit.

Amy-Sue: What good would that do? (slumps in her seat) I’m never going to fit in.

Billy: (swallows hard) I wanna help.

Amy-Sue: How?

Billy: I can teach you stuff.

Amy-Sue: Yeah? Like what?

Billy: Like, how to play RPGs and stuff.

Amy-Sue: And make me a geek? That’s even worse!

Billy: (shrugs) Or I could quit.

 

Next stop: Tuesday, November 28th, 6:00pm

Click here to learn all about this series, how it works, and where to find your favourite characters.


by 1 Comment

87. Scenes from the Second Seat on the Right

Sunday, November 26th, 5:00pm
Andrea (and Thomas)

 

Andrea sits at the window. Thomas takes the seat beside her.

Andrea: (batting her eyelashes) Hi.

Thomas: Hey there, good lookin’ lady. (spits on the floor in the aisle)

Andrea: EW!!

Thomas: What?

Andrea: EW! EW! EW! EW!

Thomas: (spits on the floor again) What?

Andrea: EW! EW! EWWW!!!!

Thomas gets up, shaking his head, and moves to another seat.

 

 

Next stop: Monday, November 27th, 6:00pm

Click here to learn all about this series, how it works, and where to find your favourite characters.


by Leave a comment

86. Scenes from the Second Seat on the Right

Saturday, November 25th, 6:00pm
Herbert (and Georgette)

 

Herbert sits at the window. Georgette takes the seat beside him.

Herbert: I saw you running for the bus.

Georgette: I almost missed it.

Herbert: I’m glad you didn’t.

Georgette: Oh yes?

Herbert: You remind me of someone. Someone I loved a long time ago.

Georgette: That’s funny–I was going to say the same thing. You remind me of someone too.

Herbert: I’m Herbert. (holds out hand) What’s your name?

Georgette: (smiles and takes his hand) Georgette.

Herbert: Georgette. That’s a lovely name.

Georgette: Thank you.

Herbert: I’m getting off in a couple of stops. Can I buy you a coffee?

Georgette: Tea. I drink tea.

Herbert: I can buy tea.

Georgette: Then I’ll go with you.

Herbert: I’m so glad …

 

 

Next stop: Sunday, November 26th, 5:00pm

Click here to learn all about this series, how it works, and where to find your favourite characters.


by Leave a comment

85. Scenes from the Second Seat on the Right

Note: Adult theme

Friday, November 24th, 9:00pm
Drommen (and Holly) (and Hillary)

 

Drommen sits at the window. Holly takes the seat beside him.

Drommen: Hey!

Holly: Hi!

Drommen: How are you? You look cheerier than the last time I saw you.

Holly: I’m much better. I don’t know what you did, but that guy with the fangs laid off.

Drommen: (smiles) Great!

Holly: And I got my own place for me an’ my baby (pats her growing stomach) so we’re all good.

Drommen: That’s wonderful.

Holly: Thanks again for your help. I don’t know if I coulda done it without you.

Drommen: You’re welcome.

Holly: I’d like to return the favour somehow … (bats eyelashes)

Drommen regards her silently.

Holly: (rubs his knee) Whadda ya say?

Drommen: (grins) Well now that you mention it … (reaches into his coat for his fly and sees Hillary board the bus. The smile leaves his face)

Holly: What? Did you want to show me something?

Drommen waves to Hillary, who is waving to him.

Holly: Friend of yours?

Drommen: Can I take a rain check?

Holly: (looking annoyed) She must be special.

Drommen:  She’s just a nice girl.

Holly: And I’m not?

Holly moves to another seat in a huff. Hillary sits beside Drommen.

Hillary: Who was that?

Drommen: A missed opportunity.

Hillary stares at him.

Drommen: (smiling) But I’m happy to see you.

 

Next stop: Saturday, November 25th, 6:00pm

Click here to learn all about this series, how it works, and where to find your favourite characters.


by 4 Comments

84. Scenes from the Second Seat on the Right

Thursday, November 23rd, 5:00pm 9:00pm
Maurice (and Stuart)

 

Maurice sits at the window. Stuart takes the seat beside him.

Maurice: Finally! What the hell happened to you?

Stuart: Oh man, you wouldn’t believe the day I’ve had. First, I missed the five o’clock bus, then I was running to catch a cab and I tripped and landed on top of this old woman walking her dog.

Maurice: My God! Is the woman okay?

Stuart: Yeah, but it was her dog leash I tripped over. Strangled the poor thing half to death. So then I felt so bad, I had to take her dog to the vet, and … it died.

Maurice: No way!

Stuart: Yep.

Maurice: So what did you do?

Stuart: The only thing I could do. I bought the old lady a new dog.

Maurice: She must have been pleased.

Stuart: Nope. Dog ran away. Turns out when I tripped over the leash, I tore it. Leash broke, dog ran away.

Maurice: Holy hell. So then what?

Stuart: We settled on a cat.

Maurice: Sounds like a solution.

Stuart stares at Maurice.

Maurice: No … What happened to the cat?

Stuart: Nothing. Turns out the old woman’s deathly allergic to them.

Maurice: She didn’t …

Stuart: Nooo. No, no, no. But she’s in the hospital.

Maurice: So, where are you off to now?

Stuart: Buy a litter box. Damned cat peed all over my rug.

 

Next stop: Friday, November 24th, 9:00pm

Click here to learn all about this series, how it works, and where to find your favourite characters.


by Leave a comment

83. Scenes from the Second Seat on the Right

Note: Strong language

Wednesday, November 22nd, 10:00am
Lacey and Kevin

 

Kevin: I’m real glad we live close.

Lacey: (sounding unenthusiastic) Yeah.

Kevin: And now that we work at the same place, we can take the bus together.

Lacey: Uh huh.

Kevin: I wasn’t surprised I got the job.

Lacey: Really.

Kevin: I won an award for selling the most shoes at the place I worked in, in Kingston.

Lacey: Uh huh.

Kevin: Kingston, Jamaica.

Lacey: You mentioned that yesterday.

Kevin: It was a lot different there. Spending time on the beach all day, playing volleyball …

Lacey: Uh huh.

Kevin: It was real nice there. And it never rained.

Lacey: Never?

Kevin: Well only at, like, 2am when no one was out sunbathing anyways.

Lacey: No shit.

Kevin: No shit. It was perfect.

Lacey: So why’d you move here?

Kevin: This guy gave me all this money and said if I wanted to keep it, I had to move to Canada.

Lacey stares at him.

Kevin: Seriously! I had to stash it in my house where no one would find it.

Lacey: Your house where you live with your mom.

Kevin: Yeah. I can’t exactly go around spendin’ it. People would wonder.

Lacey: Uh huh.

 

Next stop: Thursday, November 23rd, 5:00pm

Click here to learn all about this series, how it works, and where to find your favourite characters.


by 1 Comment

82. Scenes from the Second Seat on the Right

Tuesday, November 21st, 6:00pm
Amber (and Geeves)

 

Amber sits at the window. Geeves takes the seat beside her.

Geeves: Good afternoon.

Amber: Hey.

Geeves: (taking a sandwich out of his bag, he lifts the top piece of bread) Oh no, not again. (to Amber) Excuse me.

Amber: Huh?

Geeves: Have you any Grey Poupon?

Amber: Any what now?

Geeves: (lifts corner of lip in disgust) Ugh.

 

Next stop: Wednesday, November 22nd, 10:00am

Click here to learn all about this series, how it works, and where to find your favourite characters.