Prompt: Write about a moment when you and another person (sibling, friend, parent etc) bonded
It was a long time ago, almost further than I care to remember. A boy was causing trouble on the bus, yelling and ignoring the bus driver. I remember how broken he looked, sitting in the third seat from the door. He was angry. You could tell by the dangerous aura about him. His eyes were slanted with rage as he glared at the bus driver who told him to calm down.
"SHUT UP!" he said, almost standing in his seat. "You have no idea what I'm going through. My best friend died today last year."
I listened, a pang forming deep in my chest. Yes I did know. I knew what it felt like to lose someone. To feel so angry that person was gone. I shifted to face him from the seat across the way.
"I know" I said softly. I looked him directly in the eyes and let all my emotions go. Once our eyes met, he stared in astonishment for two seconds and then he slumped his shoulders in defeat. Something passed between us that day. I'm still not sure what it was. Maybe we both could relate to loneliness or frustration. The feeling of knowing you can't do anything to change it. Yet there we were, two completely different situations and still able to find comfort.
I'll never forget that day. Still I think back on what I could have done to prove I knew. Maybe he does know that I understand, or maybe it was my imagination.
