It usually starts with a walk from the gates of the school,
both of you know each other,
pretty well.
Maybe not so well, anyway,both of you started chatting.

It was a healthy chatter,
the occasional laugh,
the thoughtful silences,
the healthy, robust atmosphere.
Such good friends...

As always, the bus-stop approaches,
sub-consciously, the walking stops at the first bus-stop bench.
The talking continues.
"What bus are you taking?"
"Oh, 55. You?"
Really, really close friends...

All was fine and dandy, until
your bus chigga-chuggas its way from the distance.
"yay, my bus is here"
The bus arrives.
You get on the bus.
The door closes.

And here is THE moment!
THE phenomena occurs again!
Through the glass windows, you turn to see that very close, very good friend.
You smile,
and wave.

The friend looks everywhere else but at you.

Here, perhaps the bus would stop for longer than usual.
Aha! Now you are sure your friend would turn sooner or later and catch your eye and the both of you can bid each other goodbye.
But the friend will look resolutely at everywhere else, but you.

So much for the scenario illustration, but it really always happens.
It's one phenomena I can't comprehend.
Why does everyone always deliberately look away?
It's like there is this unspoken agreement that once one steps onto a bus, both parties are not to look and acknowledge each other until they are back in school the next day.
It doesn't even matter who gets up the bus, or if it's two people, or a group of people, or close friends, or hi-bye friends.
It happens all the time.

The change is almost scary,
the resolutely blank facial expression unsettling.
It's sad when you realise how totally different things are, almost instantaneously,
how things can leap from one end of the spectrum, to the other within seconds.
It makes me think about superficiality, about facades, and about bad-ends to masquerades where the mask is taken off accidentally, carelessly, unskillfully and a little too quickly, moments before the dancers leave the stage.

The fleeting moment where the most familiar of faces become those of a stranger.
Tell me, I don't understand it.

Or am I the only one who looks?