Spice and Musk

The bus was crowded and the air was thick with the scents of body odor, newspapers and the mixture of an ugly array of cheap colognes. 1

The bus came to a stop and he got on.2

His face was startling. I caught the gasp as it rose up in my throat just in time to suppress it. 3

His features were twisted and seemed misplaced. Each one off by quite a bit. Enough to give a jumbled effect and it took effort to take it all in as a whole. 4

He sat next to me and shifted so that he clung to the edge of the seat. I scrunched over as far as I could. There was still  a good twenty minutes to go on my journey so I tried to settle in to watching the city images passing by in blurry streaks but the urge to look at him was inescapable and I turned to catch glimpses.5

His skin was raw and flaky, bits of dead tissue laid in flecks across the collar of his Navy blue shirt and the left side of his face was imbued with deep crimson scars. His eyes were watery blue and set deeply into misshapen, sunken sockets. One eye seemed to fall into a wrinkled droop and the pupil was large, nearly covering the entire iris. Cracked, parched lips parted to show jagged teeth and his stringy, grey hair hung in oily, thin strands that moved as his head shook in what appeared to be a constant shiver against life in general.6

I expected a foul odor to accompany him but was surprised at the familiar, clean, enticing fragrance that floated around him in supple waves. It put me at ease and I leaned in just a bit to try to distinguish exactly where I had encountered it before. 7

We approached Broadway and Colfax and the bus stopped to let several people on board including a lawyer-stern looking lady in a tailored, burgundy jacket carrying a neat, black brief case. She stood, with disgusted confusion, in the aisle asking directions and holding up a long line of waiting passengers. Her gaze darted towards him and a look of utter shock registered on her face in a sharp, cutting flash. He saw it, there was no doubt.8

Nervously he looked at his watch and then turned my way. Our eyes locked for an instant. Something akin to delight passed through me and all at once I felt a comfort and ease with my riding companion. I smiled at him and he turned away quickly as if I had slapped him. I looked down at his hands and saw that he was fidgeting, spinning a shiny, silver ring that glowed against his gentle, amber aura.9

Suddenly it came to me. I remembered where I had smelled the soothing fragrance that encased this strange man before. It was an odd blend of spices and musk that brought to mind the masculine scent of my grandfather's hug.10

The bus came to a stop and I got off, looking back at him with a wave. Again he turned away but then I could see a small uplift to his lips and he peeked back at me with a nod.11

As I went through the hectic tasks of my day I thought of him. It was not his appearance, which had first startled me so, that stayed within my mind but it was the feeling of peace that his company lent...and the fragrance of spice and musk.12