Just another stranger...

What if, I say to him right now, "what's your name?", just like that. Out of no where. This passenger sitting next to him just asks him his name. What would he say? Will he be surprised. Will he ask, "why?".

I will tell him it's an experiment. I just want to see if he would naturally just answer, without thinking it was strange.

He would be familiar in my company and just answer.

And then we would chat like old friends.

Maybe share a couple of laughs.

Maybe we will talk all the way and not even notice the streets or the snow or the gravel or the driver's blasting Arab music. Maybe we will have such a good time that we would both tumble out of the bus in laughter, barely breathing, like this was the funniest journey ever.

"Sorry....excuse me" I said.

He looked startled. Like he could not believe I was getting off.

I looked back to see if he would look back as well. He didn't. He was once again in his world of music, like he had been the whole journey, the wires from his ear phones trailing down his neck.

He did not know of this wonderful journey we just had together. He did not know of the laughter, the joy.

He did not give a fuck.