The Bus Stop 


A fellow was driving home from work in a rainstorm. While he waited for
a traffic light to change, he saw a young woman
standing along at a bus stop. She had no umbrella and was soaking wet. 

"Are you going toward Farmington?" he called. 

"Yes, I am," she answered. 

"Would you like a ride home?" 

"I would," she said, and she got in. "My name is Joanna Finney. Thank 
you for rescuing me." 

"I'm Ed Cox," he said, "and you're welcome." 

On the way they talked and talked. She told him about her family and 
her job and where she had gone to school, and he told
her about himself. By the time they got to her house, the rain had 
stopped. 

"I'm glad it rained," Ed said. "Would you like to go out tomorrow 
after work?" 

"I'd love to," Joanna replied. 

She asked him to meet her at the bus stop, since it was near her 
office. They had such a good time, they went out many times
after that. Always they would meet at the bus stop, and off they would 
go. Ed liked her more each time he saw her. 

But one night when they had a date to go out, Joanna did not appear. 
Ed waited at the bus stop for almost an hour. "Maybe
something is wrong," he thought, and he drove to her house in 
Farmington. 

An older woman answered the door. "I'm Ed Cox," he said. "Maybe 
Joanna told you about me. I had a date with her tonight.
We were supposed to meet at the bus stop near her office. But she 
didn't show up. Is she alright?" 

The woman looked at him as if he had said something strange. "I am 
Joanna's mother," she said slowly. "Joanna isn't here now.
But why don't you come in?" 

Ed pointed to a picture on the mantel. "That looks just like her," he 
said. 

"It did once," her mother replied. "But that picture was taken when 
she was your age - about twenty years ago. A few days
later she was waiting in the rain at the bus stop. A car hit her, and 
she was killed."