Keeping Time- Chapter 3

That afternoon, Tyrone caught the bus to the park, or his 'home' in some sense. He was sitting up the back row, staring out the window. It was raining outside, so even though the bus wasn't particularly warm, he felt comfortable being out of the rain and instead sitting on a dry, and comfy bus seat. There were younger kids that had come with their parents to pick up their siblings from school, and when Tyrone watched a mother kissing her son and leading him to the car, he couldn't help but let out a few silent tears. He didn't really care if anyone saw him, because he would be moving on in the near future, a fresh start, yet a start that he never payed any attention to. The bus' wheels kicked up water, splashing it on a group of unsuspecting school girls, making them squeal in true stereotypical fashion. The last few people were just sitting down now, and one kid was covered in mud. Someone came and sat next to Tyrone, but he payed no attention, he continued to stare out the window. "Can I take you somewhere real special?" said the person sitting next to him. It was Vannessa, she was sitting next to him, in the back row. "Yer I, uh, I guess so." said Tyrone, as he looked at his watch and nodded. "Great!" smiled Vannessa.

The bus stopped at several places before the park, and just as Tyrone stood up to get off, Vannessa stopped him. "We gotta go further than this to get to my special place, it's down a little longer." They were on the bus another 45 minutes until they were the last one's left. It was about quarter past eight, and Tyrone was feeling a bit tired. "I think you kids had better get off 'bout 'ere." said the old bus driver. He seemed friendly, and Tyrone and Vannessa both thanked him as they stepped off the giant yellow behemoth that was called a bus nowadays. As the bus drove off over a large bridge, Vannessa led Tyrone by the arm, down a steep hill, and underneath the bridge, mere inches from the large mouth of water that parted Tisdale from Gumgrove. "Where are we going?" asked Tyrone, slightly tired yet curious of where they where going. "Well," said Vannessa, pointing as she spoke; "we are climbing up over the bridge supports, onto that platfrom, then in through that gap there. It'll be fun." Tyrone seemed okay with it, but he really wasn't. This was a dangerous place to be, and Tyrone thought that this place better be worth him risking his life.

When they got up there, Tyrone's jaw dropped in awe. It was a mini-house complete with two beds, a couch, some books, a portable black & white television, a gas cooker on a bench, and even a dining room table with four chairs! The most amazing thing though, was the deck. It was a platform that went out over the water, and the view of Gumgrove was simply magnificent. What's more, the whole thing was barely visible to most people on either side of the bridge, and there was room for more household items. Tyrone wondered for a second if Vannessa was homeless also, but then, as if she could read his thoughts; "My folks are only home weekends and the occasional Monday night, so I'm never home either. Instead I'm in my own home, which I must say, I love. Ofcourse, I hope your parents won't mind your being here, especially at this time." said Vannessa, tilting her head slightly after the posing of her question. "Um, no, no... They're never home either. They haven't been home for months on end lately..." struggled Tyrone. "Hey Tyrone?" said Vannessa. "Yes?" "Do you want to sleep here for the night? I've got plenty of food for breakfast, and the bus driver stops 'round here". This was a hard one. But food; a bed; a pretty girl? "Yer, uhm, that would be great..." said Tyrone
They pushed the two beds together, and watched some TV, before falling asleep in each other's arms.

Tyrone woke up only to find Vannessa there in the bed. "Good morning. I've prepared eggs and done what I can with my leftover bacon." Tyrone yawned and stretched. After they ate, Tyrone started getting dressed. Vannessa saw him and did so, too. Tyrone couldn't help but be excited as she removed all but her underwear. She had the most beautiful body you'd ever seen. Her breasts were only barely concealed by her near transparent bra, and she chuckled when she saw Tyrone stare at her.