The automatic doors of the bus station parted for Teddy as he stepped inside, blowing a warm breath into his frostbitten, cupped hands. He rubbed his hands together vigorously in order to create a warming friction that would help to thaw them. Being stationed at Fort Drum, New York you get used to the travel delays but you never get used to how the cold violates your body. But even the weather couldn’t sour Teddy’s mood today. It was Christmas Eve and he was going home for the first time in two years since joining the Army straight out of high school. The last time his family saw him was at his boot camp graduation. He had still been a boy. Now, after a tour of duty overseas and two years of maturity under his belt, he was excited to see how his family would receive him upon his returning home. When he left for the Army he had not been on the best of terms with his parents or the neighborhood police department. He was just a kid back then doing what kids do when they’re bored and have no goals.
He took off his hat and scratched his buzzed head looking for a seat. There was only one seat available in the overcrowded bus station. The only seat was in a far corner, beside a man, who had looked like he had seen better days. His hair was unkempt and wild, standing up all over his head. He looked like Albert Einstein. The man’s clothes were filthy and he looked frail. He had a cup of coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other. Teddy reluctantly sat down beside him and dialed his cell phone.
“Hey Ma. Just calling to let you know that I probably won’t make it home tonight for dinner. There’s black ice everywhere and the snow is really piling up. Tell the family I love ‘em and hopefully I’ll see everyone tomorrow as soon as this God forsaken weather clears up. I love ya, Ma.” Teddy held his phone to his lips after leaving a message for his mother. His thoughts lingered on home for a minute or two. Lovingly he thought about the warmth of the fireplace that his parents only used during the holidays, his niece’s toothless grin and the excited yelp of the family’s hound dog whenever Teddy walked through the door.
The unkempt stranger sitting beside him rustled the newspaper that he was reading and folded it neatly on his lap. “Where’s home?”
Forced out of his daydream Teddy turned his head but because he was uncomfortable talking to such a man he didn’t look directly at the stranger. “Scranton,” Teddy replied. He didn’t elaborate on his answer and busied himself, pretending to check his voice mail and started to play a game of solitaire on his phone.
“Those dag gone military cuts never change, do they?”
“Excuse me?” Teddy dealt himself a new hand never looking up from his phone.
“When I joined in ’69 I knew that I was gonna go to war but no one told me that they was gonna cut my hair. I was growin’ it out for over two years. Man, my mamma hated my long hair. She cried with joy when she saw me for the first time at my boot camp graduation.”
“Oh yeah?” Teddy chuckled. “Mine too.” Teddy was caught off guard. Someone who now looks homeless, was, at one point in time, a well groomed solider.
“How long you been in young man?”
“Two years now. How about you? You do your four years?”
The poorly groomed stranger stared straight ahead and sipped his coffee. He thought for a moment. “Oh ‘bout 10 years, I guess. ‘Til my daughter came along at the end of ’78.”
“Wow. Ten years. I don’t know if I’ll be in ten years from now.” Teddy felt a little ashamed that he was so judgmental. Here was a man who served his country for 10 years while he had a family nonetheless. And Teddy young and single, well, some days he felt as if he couldn’t eek out another day.
“Well, young man, the military is different today. And the system is more political, if you ask me.”
Teddy smiled. “You got that right. Are you heading home to see your daughter for Christmas?”
The stranger shook his head and gave a long sigh. “No son. I wish I was. Wish I could.” He paused and sighed. “My daughter died ‘bout seven years ago. Killed by a drunk driver.”
“Wow, I’m sorry.”
“It’s hard every year ‘round this time. I used to work for the bus lines as a mechanic. Sometimes even as a driver. That’s one good thing about the military. They train ya for everything. I was working overtime as a driver on Christmas Eve when I got the phone call that my wife and daughter were killed on the way to a holiday party. Things have been hard for me ever since. You must have noticed my appearance.”
Teddy’s face reddened and again he was ashamed for being so superficial. He bowed his head so the man couldn’t see his embarrassment.
“Once my girls died I had to pay for their burial. Wiped me out. I became a complete emotional mess and I lost my job. They don’t let crazies drive or repair buses. Everything has just kind of snowballed. Tried to sue the driver who killed my wife and daughter just so that I could get by until I could get myself back on track. Those damn PA tort laws make it so hard to get restitution. I lost everything.”
“You’re from PA?”
“Hazelton.”
“Hazelton! That’s no more than an hour from Scranton! Why didn’t you say something?” For the first time, Teddy looked at the man in his eyes. They were soft, kind, eyes, the color of chicory that grew wild, in the summertime, in Pennsylvania meadows.
“Well no offense, but you didn’t seem that interested. Don’t blame ya, the looks of me.”
Teddy looked at his new friend no longer hiding his embarrassment. “Yeah, sorry about that. I guess I might not be as mature as I think that I am.”
“You get used to it. It’s not that people are cruel at heart, they just don’t understand.”
“Do you have family in Hazelton?”
“Some. Most are gone. My mamma and daddy are gone. And of course my wife and daughter are buried there. I got my sister. I saw her about two years ago. She wired me bus fare to visit for the holidays. But now she’s had some hard times too and couldn’t come up with money to help me get home.”
There was sadness in the man’s voice as he talked of his family. Teddy noticed and he thought about this for a few minutes as they sat together in silence. Teddy was looking forward to spending the holidays with his family that he hadn’t seen in two years and he knew what it would mean to him to walk in the door and be hugged and greeted by everyone he loved and missed so much. He thought that everyone should be with the people they love over the holidays. He turned to his new friend and said, “How would you like to spend the holidays in Hazelton with your sister? You could come with me to Scranton, when we finally are able to be on our way, and I could drive you to Hazelton. It’s on me.”
The man’s eyes lit up like the Christmas tree that was sitting in the front window of the bus station. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Well you don’t need to say anything. It’s settled. I’ll go wait in the ticket line and I’ll call my ma and tell her to be expecting a guest.” Teddy placed his hand on the stranger’s shoulder and smiled. “I’ll tell her I’m bringing a friend.” He smiled and looked into his new friend’s gentle eyes. Teddy dialed his mom’s number as he walked up to the counter to buy a second bus ticket. He told his mom to expect an additional guest. He told her his friend’s sad story in detail while waiting in line.
“Well what’s his name?”
Teddy’s eyes grew wide. “You know Ma I didn’t even introduce myself or get his name.” Teddy turned to look at his friend. But when he turned around his new friend was gone. Teddy left his place in line and looked around the bus station and in the mens’ room. His new friend was nowhere to be found. He asked other passengers if they had seen him. While they admitted that they had seen Teddy with a man fitting the stranger’s description they hadn’t seen the stranger leave the building. Teddy was beside himself with worry at this point. As a last resort he told the janitor his story and asked if he had seen his new friend.
The janitor stood leaning on a broomstick and smiled shaking his head. ‘Well, well,” he said. “Old Jesse is back.”
“Excuse me?” Teddy eyes narrowed quizzically.
“Jesse. He shows up every now and then. Usually around the holidays. He sits, sipping coffee, but never buys a ticket to go anywhere. I think he’s just a lonely old soul is all. Just likes to hang out. He likes talking to strangers about their lives. He asks them questions about themselves and about where they’re going. And then, he just seems to disappear, just like that. You’re not the first person who has asked me about him.”
Teddy’s mom who had been listening to the whole conversation, excitedly said to Teddy, “Teddy, you know who Jesse is? He was an angel who was brought to you by God as a lesson. There are angels who walk among us all the time. God was testing you Teddy. And son, it sounds as if you passed his test!”
As she said this, Teddy looked out the frosty window of the bus station at the number nine bus heading for Binghamton. As it pulled away Teddy saw Jesse standing under a streetlight in the parking lot. The harsh light revealed snow swirling all around him. Teddy ran through the bus station’s automatic doors and as he ran out into the cold air he stopped. He saw Jesse so clearly and yelled his name. As he called out his name, Jesse winked at Teddy with his gentle, blue eyes and pulled up his windbreaker around his face. He then turned and disappeared into the snow right before Teddy’s eyes.