Shhh, Doris, Keep Silence – “Hey Doris, take this bag. It’ll make boarding quicker later.” I turned my head. Daniel was handing me a small shoulder bag from behind. As I reached out and took it, he smoothly lifted the bigger, heavier backpack right off my shoulders. Daniel was my stepdad—a gentle, handsome, perfect man. He stood a few steps away from me, his forehead covered with a thin sheen of sweat, a few strands of brown hair brushing across the high bridge of his nose. “OK.” I raised my hand and gave him the OK sign. Daniel flashed me a huge grin. I turned away and focused on the line, feeling my face burning hot in the sun. It was the last day of our beach trip. That afternoon we had to catch the long-distance bus back to the city.
Summer break was basically over, so the queue was insane. Mom was restless. She kept twisting in place, scanning everywhere for any chance to move forward. “Okay, Shelly, relax. We’re pretty far up. We should able to—” Daniel tried to soothe her, but she wasn’t hearing a word. “Shut up,” she cut in instantly. “Can’t you see how many people are still in front? What if we don’t get seats? This is the last bus today.”I glanced back. Daniel shrugged at me helplessly. Unlike chill Daniel, Mom was always wired. I tried to shoot him a sympathetic look, but honestly, his current appearance was too funny to ignore.
His tall frame made even those cheap summer shirts and beach shorts look like runway outfits. Right now, though, he was loaded down with all our trip luggage—bags hanging from both shoulders, hands full—and he still had that straw hat we bought roadside this morning perched on his head. But I have to say, looking at his athletic build, you’d never guess he wasn’t young anymore. Every single time, like now, I’d wonder how my mom ever landed a man like Daniel. He looked like a player who’d just quit the soccer team. “Hey, Doris, you’re laughing at me again,” Daniel caught my eye and raised a brow. “Keep teasing and I’ll ask your mom to switch tasks so I can bury you under all these bags.” “No chance. Mom won’t let you. You’re too big and tall—I’m way more flexible.” “And she couldn’t carry this much anyway,” Mom added, dead serious.
I grinned wide and gave Daniel my full eight-tooth victory smile. “Fine, ladies, you win.” He raised both hands in surrender. His motion was light, looking like the bags not dragging him down at all; they just highlighted the strong muscles across his shoulders. I remembered last semester when he came with me to beach volleyball. His perfect plays and looks made my friends whistle and ask if he was my off-campus boyfriend. I always denied it. But honestly, I was daydreamed about finding someone just like Daniel. Two minutes until departure. Every rider wanted a decent seat, Mom included. “Push forward a little,” she whispered. I followed, trying squeezing ahead—but no luck. My small frame gave me zero power. I couldn’t budge anyone. I tried several times, then finally decided to tell Mom I should switch tasks with Daniel, I could carry bags up in trips or wait below or anyway. But before I spoke, the crowd surged. The bus hissed like a battle cry.
The wall of people that wouldn’t move suddenly became a wave, sweeping me off my feet and onto the bus. “Doris! Forward! Forward!” Mom yelled from behind. “Yes!” I had no time to look back. I thrust both arms out and tried swimming forward—it was hopeless. I twisted with everything I had, slipping through every tiny gap. But every empty seat vanished the instant I spotted it. After fighting halfway down the aisle, I finally saw three free spots near the back. “That’s it!” I dove for them. Right as my butt landed, a plump gray-haired old lady dropped into the seat beside me. I turned, still holding my bag, mouth open, staring at her.
So this was the situation. When Daniel and Mom finally reached us, they found me sitting there, frowning. There were only two seats left, plus the one I’d saved by tossing my bag back at the last second. The old lady next to me was already dozing. “I didn’t have time,” I muttered. “I couldn’t exactly ask her to move—she’s really old.” Mom said nothing, just sighed. Daniel shoved all the luggage onto the rack, then wrapped an arm around her shoulder and patted twice. “It’s fine. At least we have two seats. We’ll squeeze—it won’t be long.” “Okay, then can you sit in the back with Doris?”