THE ADVOCATE Part 2

Hi guys, just so you don't get confused in the reading journey for 'The Advocate', I might need to explain a few things. Judy is part of the characters in the series. As the series continues, you will see each character and their roles synchronize to eventually produce an interesting reading experience.  Hope you like it! ENJOY!


JUDY

She wakes up with a start. Her alarm clock was ringing and it was annoying. She needed more sleep! It was 5.00 AM in the morning. She groaned and turned on her side continued to sleep not even bothering to put off the alarm clock. After two minutes, she gets out of bed with a lazy groan then she kneels down to pray but not after she had put off her annoying alarm clock.  Her devotional devoured and her routine work out executed, she was ready for work in one hour and thirty minutes.  The bus stop was just a few minutes away from home but if she didn't get there on time, she was sure of a very long line of queue. It was foggy and as usual very cold.

 She walked briskly to the bus-stop hugging herself to keep warm despite her thick tweed jacket. Later on the temperature would drop but for now it was freezing. At the bus stop, people stood in clusters waiting for the 7.00 AM bus to arrive. Today, thankfully the queue wasn't very long. She sighted a woman at the beginning of the line handing out a paper to passengers. When it got to her turn, the woman smiled at her and told her that Jesus loved her and wished her a wonderful day ahead as she handed her the tract. She accepted it and told her thank you.

‘I hardly ever read these’ the man in front of her half turned to inform her in a conspirational whisper.

‘They always end stuffed up in my coat pockets. I feel so guilty when I collect them because I know they would end up as trash later. By the way, I’m Charles’. He stretched out his hand for a hand shake.

‘I’m Judy. Pleased to meet you’ she accepts his handshake. 'well , one day, you’ll get to read them and then the message that you are meant to receive from them would be revealed to you. In the meantime, don’t throw them away, give them to someone else. It might just contain what that person needs at that time’ she replied with a smile.

‘You know, I have never thought of it that way. You sound like one of the ministers at my church.’ He replied with a laugh.

‘Oh well! We have to be minstrels at some point in our lives. The bus should be here by now’ she said glancing quickly at her watch.

‘Yes, it should be. It’s already five minutes till seven. ‘

Just then they see the bus coming from down the streets with it headlights in full blast separating the fog.

‘It’s about time!’ she exclaimed and he nodded in agreement.

All aboard, they were soon on their way to Bath Central. Judy loved to sit by the window every morning on her forty five minutes bus ride to work. She loved to see the world from behind the glass of a metro bus. But today it was foggy, so she settled to listen to some music on her phone and maybe doze off since her stop would be the last one the bus would make.

She couldn't sleep and the music was far from relaxing. Her mind was on different things.

‘Would you mind if I sit beside you? ‘

‘Oh! I didn't see you coming…of course….’ She replied a bit startled.

‘Sorry if I frightened you’ he said noting the look on her face.

‘it’s alright. I am perfectly alright now’ she replied wondering what he wanted. She needed to find a way to sleep for just thirty minutes but obviously, this guy just wanted to talk and she wasn't much interested.

‘Trying to sleep right?’ He asked and she nodded.

‘Let me tell you what I do, whenever I am trying to get that 30 minutes sleep on my way to work, all I just do is imagine one of the favorite place I love to be and then I use it to lull myself to sleep’. He explained

‘Really? ’ She asked. Mentally, she took note of his appearance. He was good looking, well -built and he smelled like something familiar. Something she would like to snuggle up to. She liked him already.

‘Yes, it works, trust me.  I am a nature lover so I imagine myself lying down in a vast green meadow with plenty of sunshine and cool breeze and then I chant in my head words like relax, serenity, peace till I eventually fall asleep.’ he concluded with a mysterious grin on his face.

‘Are you a psycho-therapist? ‘Cos that’s the kind of advice they would give? She asked jokingly more alert now than sleepy. He sounded like an interesting and fun fellow.

‘No. I am not. I just read that somewhere. I am a civil engineer. What do you do?’ he asked , happy that he had her full attention now. He had been meaning to talk to her for a while now but he just didn't know how to go about it. She didn't know it but the first time he saw her. He had just parked his car in front of the coffee shop across from the soup kitchen where she served. She had come out of the shop to see someone off and that was when she caught his attention. She was a sight to behold. She had kind eyes and a very beautiful smile. Since then, He couldn't get her out of his mind. His delight knew no bounds when he saw her at the bus stop one morning waiting to board the same bus he wanted to get on and now, here they were.

‘Well… I am a Human Resource personnel in my company.’ She answered shortly. She wasn't going to give further details than that

‘Interesting... Do you like your job?’

‘Yes... do you like your job?’

‘I enjoy my job and…’ just then the bus came to a stop and they both looked up to the lead screen in front of them displaying the name of the bus stop.

‘This is my stop Judy. It was a pleasure talking to you. Remember to practice what I taught you…do have a pleasant day ahead’ he reminded her on his way out of the bus.

‘Thank you Charles, I will. Have a nice too. Bye.’ She answered smiling.

She watched him disappear in the crowd of people as the bus moved. ‘Interesting fellow’ she wondered.   

Now that the stranger had managed to keep her awake, she had many things on her mind. So she rummaged through her bag for her daily planner. Done setting up her day, she decides to try what the stranger had taught her. She closed her eyes visualizing the sea, calm, beautiful and refreshing. She was sitting on the shores of the beach and she started to chant the word serenity, taking in relaxing breaths till she fell asleep. She woke up to the ringing sound of the conductor’s bell. Obviously, the bus had reached her stop. Groggily, she took the stairs down the bus one at a time. Work was just two blocks away and it was really cold so she walked fast with the throng of people on the street not because she was late but because she needed to wake herself up.

 As she approached the building where she worked, something caught her attention, a familiar figure she knew too well, talking animatedly to the security guard at the entrance. She stopped in her tracks. ‘How did she know where I worked?’ Taking a deep breath, she proceeded to find out what Gwen was doing outside her office building.