on my way to work today a man boarded the bus that i have never seen on that bus at that time before, it was five am. it's always the regulars, you know.

sallow faces, tired souls.

this man sat across from me waving his arms in exhaustion and disbelief, he shook his head at me giving a look of "i don't know."

i felt he needed to speak to me, maybe just wanted to so i removed my headphones and said "yes?".

he kept repeating "i don't know, i don't know!"

there was a language barrier, i could tell, he had trouble explaining his story but he calmed down a bit and explained what had happened.

it seems some guys he met had asked him to attend a party with them around fifth and main street. he went and i guess just before he boarded the bus he witnessed one of the men beating his girlfriend against a wall and shaking her, calling her a bitch. he motioned this at me, his eyes bulged and shook. other people on the bus now seemed interested in his story but most dismissed his presence.

he said he jumped in beating the man assaulting her when his friends jumped in and they all started beating him. he motioned all of these brawls, punching in the air, punching towards his face and clenching his eyes as if he was reliving the experience. he would reopen his eyes to only have them protrude further from his amber skin.

everything seemed to move in slow motion for me. my mind wandered, i did not know if i should believe him.

he repeated his story a few times. he told me someone called the police so he ran. ran away from the men beating him and the police for he had no witness and believed no one would believe him.

he did not know what happened to the girl but hoped she was okay.

i felt he was brave & cowardly.

he had no bruises, he did not look as if he had been beaten.

he told me he lived near metrotown but the skytrain was not running so he did not know where he was going. we disembarked at main and hastings and i directed him to main and keefer where he could catch the nineteen bus to metrotown.

he thanked me. i departed north down main and he south.