Dave Casler
PO Box 98
Ridgway, Colorado 81432
Young Adult Novels by Dave Casler...
I've been told by publisher after publisher that there's no market for Young Adult novels. I think they're wrong! So I'm putting my novels on-line for you. Forget the publisher! Read to your heart's content--it's free! And, I'd like to hear from you, too! Contact Page.
You're reading About Phillip. Be sure to check out About Dan here.
Phillip is a computer nerd who suddenly discovers a liking for track. Everything would be fine except for his father.
About Series Home
About the About Series
Index to All Chapters
Here are all the chapters, disguised as asterisks. Hover your mouse over an asterisk to see the title of the chapter. Click on the asterisk to go straight to that chapter.
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(About Phillip Home) (Last) (Next)
The Bus in the Rain
Five o’clock on Friday afternoon found Phillip and Melanie shivering and huddling in the bus shelter on 28th Street. A chilly rain—so typical of May in Colorado—fell lightly from the gray and featureless sky. Rush hour headlights reflected in the wet pavement. They stood with ten others waiting for the express bus. Their destination was the Flatirons Crossing Mall in Broomfield.
Melanie checked her watch again. "Shouldn’t the bus be here by now?"
"It’s usually late this time of day."
"I could’ve borrowed my dad’s car." She hopped to stay warm.
"It’ll come."
On cue, the great lumbering RTD bus pulled up, splashing water on the waiting group. Melanie jumped back to avoid a bath. Phillip was utterly unconcerned. Everyone queued up to board.
"You have a bus pass, don’t you," shouted Phillip through the din.
"No. How much does it cost to ride?"
"Not much. Do you have the money? I can loan you some."
"Tell me again why we’re taking the bus," she said as they stepped aboard. She pulled some change out of her pocket. "How much?" she asked the driver.
The driver grunted and pointed at a fare card over the fare machine. She studied the card while people jostled past her to get on board; only Phillip was patient enough to wait. She counted out her change and plopped it into the fare machine as the driver took off. She fell back into Phillip’s arms.
"Hang on! Ya gotta hang on, Melanie."
She turned to find a seat but there were none. Several people stood in the aisle.
"Gotta move back, Melanie. A little more. There." Phillip waved his bus pass; the driver showed no interest. Phillip joined her in the aisle.
Phillip started his standard lecture. "We’re taking the bus because it’s far more efficient than driving. It’s better for the earth in terms of energy per passenger mile. It’s also cheaper, considering the cost of an automobile in today’s economy and…"
"Why are you telling me this again?" asked an irritated Melanie.
"’Cause you asked why we’re taking the bus," said Phillip.
"In the rain."
"Yeah, the bus runs in all weather. A little rain’s not going to stop it. Even snow."
Melanie rolled her eyes and opted not to reply. She studied the passengers. Nearly all were blue collar, judging from their appearance. Many were Hispanic. None looked like they lived in Boulder. Instinctively, she moved closer to Phillip. Phillip responded by backing away.
"You ok?" he asked.
"Yeah, fine. Are you sure this is safe? No one’s wearing seat belts."
"It’s a lot safer than a regular car. Haven’t you ever been on a bus before? You ride school busses all the time."
"This is different."
"What’s different?"
"Nothing." She looked toward the back of the bus. Everyone carefully avoided eye contact. All the passengers bobbed and leaned in unison as the bus wound its way down Highway 36.
She said nothing until the bus pulled off the freeway at the Flatirons Crossing bus stop. They stepped off by themselves. The bus roared off, leaving them in the rain.
"Now what?"
"We wait here for the tram."
"In the rain."
"No, silly, under the shelter. See over there? You should do this more often."
Neither spoke while waiting for the tram. This time they found seats. A few minutes later and they hopped off at the entrance to the sprawling mall, bustling with Friday evening shoppers.
"I don’t think very many of these people came by bus," she observed.
"They should have," said Phillip. "Do you want to have something to eat before we go to the movie? I figure we have over an hour before it starts. I looked up the show times."
"Where are we going to eat?"
"How about the food court? I like the Japanese stuff. I’ve been practicing using chopsticks."
Melanie stopped dead in her tracks. "Phillip! This is supposed to be a date! I thought we were going to a sit-down restaurant."