Grace

The stiffly-starched whiteness of the collar ringed the neck of the black nylon polka dot dress, securely fastened from white collar to hemline with brilliant white buttons diligently kept spotless. Along the edge of the unnaturally white collar, a small edging of tatted lace softened the starkness of the silently still woman sitting on the bus bench, her knees held tightly together, her ankles touching. Old-fashioned highly polished black shoes were tied to her feet, the black laces forming a measured bow across her instep, a proper chunky two-inch heel adding a Sunday touch to her appearance. Age was indiscriminate, hidden in the creases and folds that belied the victim of servitude and sunshine. Squarely across her lap, wrinkled hands blended into the handle of the firmly clutched black bag that looked as if it had spent the weekdays on a closet shelf for many years.

This was not a woman of means, but a proud woman waiting for the city bus to take her to church services. She looked straight ahead, not wanting to attract attention to herself, sitting alone on the far end of the bench as if waiting for other travelers to join her. Cars passed, which she neither saw nor acknowledged, filling the early morning air with noise and dust. No one thought to stop and offer her a ride, perhaps a familiar Sunday sight that formed part of the ordinary routine of the small rural community who had asked before and been politely declined. “I'll wait for the bus. Thank you for your kindness,” a proud woman used to doing for others, not being done for in even the simplest ways.

A slight shifting of her hands indicated that she heard the bus down the road a ways and she began the process of standing to signal to the driver to pick her up. Her head never moved, eyes neither right nor left, but her feet edged slightly apart to provide balance as her body leaned slowly toward the street, momentum providing the assist necessary to become erect. Once standing, her feet again tucked tightly together, her head facing the street, she waited, knowing that she’d take her customary seat at the back of the bus and sing silent hymns as she journeyed to her destination.