Rome and several of his buddies had a dilemma. This was one of the hottest summers in Cleveland, Ohio that they could remember. With the heat and summer jobs lacking for a fifteen-year-old even, the once generous neighbors who created some work from time to time had dried up. Money was tight for everyone that they knew.

They hoped that the one bud that had parents with good jobs would come through but it didn't happen. He left them high and dry. It was time to do what a young boy did not like to do: beg. They thought that maybe the proprietor of the corner store just might feel their pain.

As they tried to figure out who would do the asking, they heard a female voice asking questions about what they were up to. Rome looked around and saw this lady at the bus stop. Rome answered her questions and they a had an enjoyable conversation when she motioned for him to come to her. She reached out and put something into his hand Rome had no idea what she said to him because he was concentrating on what was in his hand. It was paper and, when he ran in the store, it was just what they needed.

When school started, all of the gang ended up in the same English class. Being assigned to write an essay about the most exciting thing that happened to them, Rome knew exactly what he would write about: The Woman at the Bus Stop. Intrigued about the lady at the bus stop, the English class began a project to find this woman and see if she touched the lives of any others. Following letters about the lady, and with a new-found passion for writing, Rome was on a search to find this lady and found that it really was a small world.

--Brenda Pickett Watson

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