What's wrong - driver

Chapter Seven

I TOLD myself to stop behaving like a worm and be assertive. Not wanting to upset the conductor was one thing, but he was making no effort at all to communicate.

"To tell you the truth, your driver almost knocked me down. Yes... I'm sorry to say that, but he did. And I'm not the sort of man to put up with that sort of thing. Do you hear me? It ran through my head to report him."

Still no response.

"Anyway what's wrong with the bloody heater! What's wrong with you and your driver? You two a couple of dickheads or something!"

I had to smile. I was letting off steam and beginning to enjoy myself. The conductor was obviously a wimp.

"Well! Are you going to do something about the heater or not?"

As I finished speaking I happened to glance back at the driver's window. I did a double take. There was a face at the window!

The small flap was open and framed in the rectangle was a horrible face staring at me. My heart hammered and I rushed back to sit on the beach seat. The face was like a miniature portrait painted from an artist's nightmare.

It was the driver of course, but his eyes were small and black like an animal, and they shone with the alertness of a predator; his nose was wide and upturned, blatantly exposing two large nostrils below which was too long a gap between nose and mouth. His thin lips were pulled back from his teeth in a terrible snarl.

The face that glared out at me looked more like the face of a beast than a man. It seemed to hover in the rectangle as if the head were not attached to a neck.

The visage filled me with dread, yet I could not tear my eyes away from the bestial countenance.

It had taken just a few seconds to take in the impression and in that short time my boldness had turned to fear.

"Had he heard? I thought furiously, "Had he heard me threaten to report him? No, no, he couldn't have, not with the noise of the engine".

Now I realised that the bus had stopped and the engine was quietly idling.

"But, whatever I said, that was no reason to look at me so terribly. He looks as if he wants to kill me! I didn't really mean to report him. Why didn't I keep my bloody mouth shut."

I tried to smile, to reassure him that I meant no harm; but my lips just quivered. I felt my skin prickle. His glare pressed my feeble smile from my face like a hot iron presses a crease from a white sheet.

I swallowed hard, struggling to hide my fear. Suddenly his hideous face drew back and he was gone, leaving the rectangle black and empty. I felt my ridged body drain with relief. I felt as if I had received a minor, but prolonged electric shock; and now, although the current had been turned off, it was as if I were still wired up and could at any moment receive another jolt. I slumped forward and covered my face with my hands.

"My God" I whispered " I thought he was going to smash through the glass."

An image of the driver crashing through the window sprang violently into my mind. I pressed my hands tightly to my face in an effort to suppress the terrifying image.

It froze and telescoped away until it became a tiny dot of light. A gap so small that I could hardly see through. Only if I slightly opened the gap could I see. My nerves jolted! The current was on again!

The conductor was standing in front of me! I could see his legs through my fingers. He must have come down the stairs the moment I covered my eyes.

He must have moved quickly and silently and - deliberately. I held my breath not knowing what to do except continue peering at his legs through my fingers. He stood there silent. My mind raced.